Fritsch latest winner in Flyers' cap war
Fritsch latest winner in Flyers' cap war
The salary cap may have brought parity to the NHL but it also has turned it into a league where college kids with no professional experience can play a game in the NHL.
For the second time in three games, the Flyers signed a 24-year-old college defenseman on a 24-hour emergency contract and put him on the ice.
Last week it was David Sloane, a Philadelphia-born prospect who played against the Rangers and got 6 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time. Yesterday it was Jamie Fritsch, a 6-2, 200-pound lefthander who just finished his college career with the University of New Hampshire, where he played with James van Riemsdyk.
Fritsch, of Odenton, Md., has been practicing with the Phantoms and played in place of Ryan Parent, who is resting his sore groin in advance of the playoffs, . In the 4-3 loss to the Rangers, Fritsch played 4:34, and was a plus-one.
"There are going to be some butterflies, but it will be good to get warmups in and get that first shift out of the way," Fritsch said before the game. "I just want to settle in and try and keep things simple and do my job out there."
According to sources, the Flyers also are interested in signing Boston University defenseman Matt Gilroy, who captained his team to an NCAA championship Saturday night after being awarded the Hobey Baker Award as national player of the year. The 24-year-old is being scouted by several NHL teams, and the Flyers are only one of many in the mix. *
