The Flyers may have gotten Wealy lucky with this one(Pun fully intended)
On January 7th, the Philadelphia Flyers struck a deal with the Los Angeles Kings, and no they didn’t trade Mike Richards again. Instead they traded Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn for Jordan Weal and a third round pick in the NHL entry draft. This deal also includes that the Flyers retain half of Luke Schenn $3.6 million dollar salary this year as well as half of Vinny 4.5 million dollar salary.
Jordan Weal was selected in the third round with the 70th pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He made his first NHL appearance this season with the Los Angeles Kings. Weal has appeared in 10 games, averaging 8:07 of ice time per game. Weal just finished 3 years with the American Hockey League following spending the previous 4 years in junior hockey. Last season, Jordan Weal posted up 69 points in 73 games in the regular season with the Kings affiliate Manchester Monarchs. He lead the Monarchs to a Calder Cup victory in 2015.
Weal won the Jack A. Butterfield trophy as the MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs with 22 points in 19 games. Weal was an AHL all-star and stud for the Monarchs and he has great potential going forward in the NHL.
The Flyers traded away a below average forward in Vincent Lecavalier, he is on the back the of career and told the press that he plans on retiring after this season. Age has slowed the once great Lecavalier. He joined the Flyers back in July of 2013, signing a 5 year / $22,500,000 contract as a free agent. The hype surrounding Vinny’s signing didn’t last that long as he appeared in only 133 games for the Flyers over the last three seasons. He recorded 28 goals and 30 assists for 58 points during that span. Lecavalier had sat out of the last 22 games for the Flyers before the recent trade. Lecavalier reported wanted out of Philadelphia but was difficult to move because of his contract size, age and his statistical decline. Nonetheless, the genius, Ron Hextall manage to trade him.
Luke Schenn was also included in the trade. Schenn rates out as a top 6 defensemen at best on a good team. Schenn, who is 26 years old, was acquired by the Flyers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 23, 2012 in exchange for forward James van Riemsdyk. Schenn appeared in 213 games for the Flyers, recording 12 goals and 30 assists for 42 points. Schenn is known as a big-body, defensive defensemen. I like Luke Schenn but his potential has not shown during his tenure in Orange and Black. Given the Flyer’s current situation, moving defensemen like Luke Schenn to eventually make room for the defensive prospects like Robert Hagg, Sam Morin and Ivan Provorov is a smart idea.
After doing some research, I really like this trade for the Flyers. Jordan Well looks to be a solid prospect and getting another draft pick is a great bonus. It will make a nice addition to the stockpile of draft picks the flyers currently hold. The Flyers are moving into the future by gaining young talent and draft picks while also drafting smarter. Ron Hextall’s youth movement in full force in South Philadelphia and Jordan Weal may be the next piece to the Flyer’s championship puzzle. Keep up the good work Ron.
Reaction On Twitter:
Scout report on new Flyer Jordan Weal: very shifty player, great offensive IQ. Reliable defensively in playoffs & was Calder Playoff MVP
— Billy Jaffe (@BJaffe) January 6, 2016
Jordan Weal and a pick for Vinny Lecavalier and Luke Schenn? Live look at Flyers Skate Zone. pic.twitter.com/b7YX47Ct3n
— Tim Riday (@TimRiday) January 6, 2016
The real deal, Jordan Weal🔥
— Trey Cochran (@Trey_theCreator) January 7, 2016
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
