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What about the Flyers-Penguins exhibition game? At least watching on television, it actually felt a bit like an outdoor game.
#Flyers bubble hockey crack
As for baseball games, it’s harder to guess whether a batted ball is going to fall for a hit without the telltale crowd noise after the crack of the bat. Basketball games are now constant “squeak fests,” with only shouts from the benches providing the occasional jolt for viewers at home. First taste of bubble hockey proves surprisingly normalĪnyone who has watched the NBA scrimmages or MLB regular-season games can attest to the strangeness of games without cheering fans. Hopefully, it will be remembered as a mere prelude to a successful NHL tournament that lasts into October and crowns a Stanley Cup champion.ġ.



The result was a low-stakes “Welcome Back to Hockey” day, with Flyers-Penguins serving as the first game across the Toronto bubble for Eastern Conference clubs and the Edmonton bubble for teams out west.
#Flyers bubble hockey upgrade
Hayes, 31, finished second in scoring among Flyers players with 54 points in 81 games this season and provides a much-needed upgrade at center for Columbus, although his roughly $7.1MM cap hit is a tad rich for his skillset and career arc.The Flyers treated the game like a preseason matchup, splitting netminding duties between Carter Hart (first two periods) and Brian Elliott (third period and overtime) while dressing 13 forwards and seven defensemen. The main negotiating factor in a Hayes trade is reportedly salary retention, suggesting a return package from Columbus might already be ironed out. They noted the Provorov trade was of higher priority to both clubs, but the two parties are now “set to reengage” after completing the three-team deal. The Fourth Period also mentioned in today’s report that the lines of communication aren’t quite closed between the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, especially regarding a long-time rumored deal involving Kevin Hayes. While a poor bubble season in 2020-21 drags Hart’s career numbers down considerably, he’s been admirable in a tough position for Philadelphia in other seasons and sat among the top of the league in multiple stats during the first few months of 2022-23. However, they did specifically name the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens as teams believed to have interest in acquiring the 24-year-old.īoth teams got strong goaltending performances this season from Ilya Samsonov and Sam Montembeault, respectively, but neither of them is regarded as the sure-fire long-term starter Hart is. The Fourth Period today seemed a little more optimistic about the eventuality of a Hart deal, but again noted nothing was imminent on that front. Today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on The Jeff Marek Show that progress toward a Hart trade hasn’t advanced, saying a source told him to “dial back on the ” and that moving Hart wasn’t Philadelphia’s current top priority. Within minutes of Tuesday’s trade being reported, reports from various insiders surfaced the Flyers were at least engaged in discussions with teams about moving Hart, although it wasn’t something as imminent as the Ivan Provorov deal, which was officially announced hours later. Naturally, though, after acquiring a fourth goalie with decent NHL experience in Calvin Petersen, questions began to resurface about the future of budding star netminder Carter Hart with the team. The Philadelphia Flyers (and rookie general manager Daniel Brière) made their first big splash of the offseason earlier this week.
