As the Philadelphia Flyers embarked into the uncharted waters of a proper rebuild, few were surprised when the club refrained from making a big splash when the free agency window opened on July 1. Focused squarely on building for the future and evaluating their young talent, the Flyers prioritized signing depth players to cheap, short-term deals.
Of those players, Garnet Hathaway’s name stood out.
The Flyers had become intimately familiar with Hathaway during his four-season stint with the Washington Capitals — one of their top Metropolitan Division rivals. A veteran winger with a rough-and-tumble style of play, the Mainer was a natural fit in Philadelphia, where physicality and nastiness are not only encouraged, but somewhat demanded.