The Flyers are now under one week away from kickstarting what promises to be an intense and unique NHL season. While the team enjoyed a quiet offseason and were able to retain a strong core, their defensive shape will see quite a change. Matt Niskanen’s surprise retirement has shuffled the entire group and in order to add in some extra depth, the team signed Erik Gustafsson.
A new beginning
An offensive defenseman, Gustafsson broke out in 2018, putting up 60 points and finishing sixth in the NHL among D-men. While the former fourth-round pick took a while to find his footing with Calgary after a trade, he did score 4 points through 10 postseason appearances in the Bubble.