Flyers Notes: Via waivers, Flyers add depth on defense

OTTAWA - The Flyers claimed veteran defenseman Nick Boynton off waivers from the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, but, because of weather-related problems, the move indirectly caused the team to loan winger James van Riemsdyk to the Adirondack Phantoms for one day.

Boynton, 32, gives the Flyers insurance in case of an injury. He is seventh on the defensive depth chart, and he played his first pro season (1999-2000) under Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, who was then directing the AHL Providence Bruins.

"Nick is a right-shot defenseman who will bring experience and depth to our team," said general manager Paul Holmgren, who made the move because Oskars Bartulis is sidelined for up to three months with a shoulder injury.

Boynton, a 6-foot-1, 218-pounder who had eight points in 41 games this season and was plus-2, said he was "a little shocked" to be placed on waivers, but that he "couldn't be happier" to join the Eastern Conference leaders. "I couldn't ask to be coming to a better team."

The Flyers had planned to use Boynton in Saturday night's game in Ottawa, but he could not get to Canada's capital city because of weather problems in Chicago.

If Boynton had joined the team Saturday, Erik Gustafsson would have been returned to the Phantoms and the Flyers would have been at the 23-player maximum.

Gustafsson, however, was forced to make his NHL debut, and the Flyers demoted van Riemsdyk (three goals in his last six games) to get to the 23-player limit.

Van Riemsdyk was the only waiver-exempt forward on the Flyers. They could have sent Nik Zherdev to the Phantoms. But Zherdev, who cleared waivers earlier in the week, would have to clear re-entry waivers - and would have been available to other teams for half his salary - if the Flyers wanted to recall him.

The Flyers planned to send Gustafsson back to the Phantoms after Saturday's game. He was paired with Matt Carle. Gustafsson was playing because Chris Pronger has a bruised right hand, suffered when he blocked a shot Thursday against the Islanders.

Boynton, who will join the team Monday, sat out Thursday's game with an upper-body injury. Before that, he was a healthy scratch for most of the last two months, playing in just four games in 2011.

The Flyers will pay $118,280 of Boynton's prorated $500,000 salary. Because the Flyers have a player on the long-term injured-reserve list, however, his entire salary counts against the cap. The Flyers have about $1.8 million in acquisition space available as Monday's trade deadline approaches.

Because van Riemsdyk was not available, Zherdev returned to the lineup Saturday.

Zherdev, a healthy scratch the previous seven games, started the night on a line with Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter - and he nearly scored 1 minute, 3 seconds into the game, getting stopped on a breakaway by Ottawa's Craig Anderson. - Sam Carchidi