The Philadelphia Flyers only had him for a few months, but one of their recent trade acquisitions is quietly torching the AHL for another organization.
Remember when the Flyers shipped Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee off to the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick, seventh-round pick, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Jakob Pelletier?
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They actually got a decent young prospect back in Pelletier, only to give him the smallest of chances in the lineup and ultimately let him walk as a free agent in the offseason.
Pelletier, 25, signed a three-year, $2.23 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an unqualified restricted free agent, accepting an unprecedented multi-year deal for the veteran minimum.
That was especially surprising, given that the 5-foot-9 sparkplug played a career-high 49 NHL games last season, scoring seven goals, 12 assists, and 19 points between the Flyers and Flames.
Flyers Letting Jakob Pelletier Go Was a Clear Mistake
Flyers Letting Jakob Pelletier Go Was a Clear Mistake The Philadelphia Flyers have lost one of their most effective players from the end of this past season in Jakob Pelletier for no good reason.
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The Lightning, of course, are loaded and a Stanley Cup contender, so Pelletier has spent all but two games with the AHL Syracuse Crunch this season.
The result? Pelletier leads the entire league in scoring, amassing an astounding 22 goals, 39 assists, and 61 points in just 50 games with the Crunch.
The ex-Flyers forward has been at or near a point-per-game throughout his entire AHL career dating back to the 2021-22 season, so his production isn’t overly surprising, but he’s also clearly found another gear while playing for his third organization in two seasons.
As for the Flyers’ AHL affiliates? The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have just two forwards with 30 or more points this season: journeymen Lane Pederson and Anthony Richard.
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Even if the Flyers kept Pelletier just for NHL depth, he would have provided a massive boost for a struggling Phantoms team that has lost Alex Bump and Denver Barkey to NHL call-ups and Samu Tuomaala and Alexis Gendron to trades.
Instead, the Flyers have had to rely on the likes of Carl Grundstrom for that role, but after scoring seven times in December, including in four straight contests, the Swede’s luck in front of goal has run out.
Grundstrom has just one goal and one assist in his last 22 games, and Pelletier continues to rip apart the AHL.
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