The Philadelphia Flyers continue to add toughness and veteran presence to their lineup and are looking to an old friend to help bring it. The Flyers signed Nate Thompson to a one-year, $800,000 contract on Wednesday on the first day of free agency.
Thompson is no stranger to Philadelphia, appearing in seven regular season contests and 16 playoff games for the Flyers during the abbreviated 2019-20 season. Thompson recorded only one goal and one assist in his 23 combined games as a Flyer that season along with 23 penalty minutes.
Thompson spent the 2020-21 season with the Winnipeg Jets, posting two goals and three assists for five points in 44 games as a depth forward for the Jets. He also recorded two assists in eight postseason games for Winnipeg before they were swept in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the upstart Montreal Canadiens.
The Flyers are certainly trying to mold themselves into a team that’s relentless and going to be a pain in the butt to play against. Adding another physical presence like Thompson onto a roster than already includes Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Morin gives the Flyers perhaps a more physical identity that we haven’t seen in a little while.
Thompson will provide some physical depth in a bottom-six role, and now provides even more competition to a logjam that contains Morgan Frost, Tanner Laczynski, Wade Allison, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel. This signing also addresses the Flyers’ need for a cheap, veteran center to the mix, and this signing may indicate that Scott Laughton is the prime candidate for the third-line center role unless Frost steps up and takes charge of that position.
Nevertheless, the Flyers’ knack for bringing in leadership and physicality this offseason has been greatly welcomed, and a familiar face in Thompson could be just what the doctor ordered for the Flyers as they look to regain their identity and swagger in their quest to return to the postseason and contend for a Stanley Cup.