Jordan Weal has injected life into Flyers' stale attack
The most pleasant surprise of the Flyers season, arguably, has been the emergence of winger Jordan Weal since he was promoted from the Phantoms in February.
The most pleasant surprise of the Flyers season, arguably, has been the emergence of winger Jordan Weal since he was promoted from the Phantoms in February.
Granted, the sample size has been small, but Weal has been so impressive that it seems like a no-brainer that the Flyers - who need all the offensive help they can get - will sign him before the expansion draft.
Weal, recalled from the Phantoms because of an injury to Travis Konecny, has given the Flyers some much-needed speed and creativity, and he has a knack for jumping on loose pucks around the net.
When the Flyers acquired Weal and a third-round draft pick from Los Angeles 15 months ago, it was thought to be primarily a salary dump because they shed the contracts of veterans Vinny Lecavalier and Luke Schenn.
But it turns out the Flyers got a player who looks as if he could be in their top nine for a lot of years.
"He's a guy you can count on for energy every single shift," goalie Steve Mason said. "He cycles the puck extremely well and has come through in big moments."
Weal, who will turn 25 on April 15, did not have the greatest training camp this season, so the Flyers sent him the Lehigh Valley. Before doing so, he had to slip through waivers. He did.
"I look back at last camp and he was OK, but he wasn't himself," general manager Ron Hextall said. "I was hoping that in September or October he would show us it was time for [him] to come here."
At Lehigh Valley, Weal flourished, scoring 47 points in 43 games.
"He worked hard, he was one of the top players in the league and kind of got his mojo back," Hextall said. "All of a sudden when he came up he was in the midst of playing. He had a much better mindset when he came up than he did in September and October."
When the Flyers recalled Weal, he was in a rhythm, and his AHL success has carried into The Show. He entered Saturday with seven goals in 19 games, and he had six goals in his last 12 games, energizing a dormant offense.
A converted center, Weal has looked comfortable on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Wayne Simmonds.
Konecny and Weal have had impressive rookie seasons. Add center Mike Vecchione, who signed as a free agent Friday, and the Flyers have some young forwards to complement veterans Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Voracek, Brayden Schenn, and Sean Couturier.
Left winger Oskar Lindblom, 20, who has starred in Sweden this season, is another prospect who has a good chance to crack the lineup next season. Lindblom was shrewdly selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
After this season, look for Hextall to re-sign the 5-foot-10, 179-pound Weal, a potential unrestricted free agent.
"He works hard," Hextall said. "He's a hockey player. He's all in."
The expansion draft for Vegas complicates things. Vegas will have a 48-hour window to sign unrestricted free agents before it makes its expansion-draft selections June 20.
If Hextall re-signs Weal before then, it would prevent Vegas from potentially signing him as an intriguing free agent. The Flyers would then place him on their protected list so Vegas couldn't take him in the expansion draft.
Each team can lose only one player to the Golden Knights. But if Vegas signs an unrestricted free agent, that player's previous team will not lose anyone in the expansion draft.
"I don't know what we'll do," Hextall said. "We'll wait and kind of see where we go between now and then. We'll make those decisions when the time comes."
If the Flyers were able to sign Weal, they would probably protect him over players such as Nick Cousins and Scott Laughton.
Based on what he's shown since he has been recalled, Weal has more upside.
"He kind of reminds me of Marty St. Louis," Mason said the other night. "Tiny. Strong on the puck, fast. It's move, move, move. Good hands and just tenacious on the puck. He's been impressive."
Weal isn't letting the praise go to his head. Asked if he thought he had locked down a spot next season, he said, "Not at all. This is one of the best leagues in the world. Nothing is given to you here. You have to keep working all the time, from year to year."
@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog