Flyers sign O'Donnell, Shelley
The Flyers have come to a one-year agreement with free agent defenseman Sean O'Donnell and forward Jody Shelley.
O'Donnell will earn $1 million this season with the possibility of performance-based bonuses.
O'Donnell, 38, skated with the Los Angeles Kings for the last two seasons. Last year, O'Donnell posted three goals and 12 assists for 15 points with a plus-14 rating. He turns 39 on Oct. 13.
O'Donnell is a 15-year NHL veteran, splitting time between the Kings, Devils, Wild, Bruins, Coyotes and Ducks. O'Donnell teamed up with Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger in 2007 to bring a Stanley Cup to Anaheim.
Last year in Los Angeles, O'Donnell earned $1.25 million.
O'Donnell will likely be the Flyers' sixth defenseman, leaving Oskars Bartulis as the 7th defenseman or – depending on the cap situation – starting the season in the AHL. In order to make it to the AHL, Bartulis and his $600,000 salary would have to first clear waivers.
Shelley, meanwhile, signed a three-year deal worth $1.1 million per season. Shelley, 34, is a 6-foot-3, 220 pound instigator that posted two goals and 7 assists for 9 points over 57 games this year. Both of Shelley's goals this season came against the Flyers. He has posted more than 100 penalty minutes in a season six times in his career and more than 200 minutes in a season three times.
Shelley was being courted heavily by the New York Rangers this offseason, who offered him $825,000 this morning according to the New York Post.
More coming...
To read our previous posts about the busy first day of free agency, click here.