Soon after signing a highly touted defensive prospect, the Flyers have kept a valuable depth piece. Nick Seeler, a 28 year old blue liner, will be staying in Philadelphia for the next two years, signing a deal that will earn him $775,000.
Seeler was signed this past offseason. He was expected to start the season in Lehigh Valley, but as Rasmus Ristolainen and Ryan Ellis were injured during training camp, he pitched right in. In 43 games, he scored one goal and netted two assists. He also was a respectable -3 with and average of 13:05 minutes on the ice.
Seeler is a four year vet, having previous played for the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks. He is the prototypical ideal Flyers-sized defender at 6’1″ and 201 lbs.
He’s not going to be confused for any first line defenseman; and there were some games that, due to a lack of healthy bodies, he had to be. Still, he is a capable blueliner. He racked up 67 blocks and delivered 75 hits; stats that are really respectable considering he was in only 43 games and these are his highest stats since the 2018-19 season for the Wild.
The signing gives the Flyers some leverage. Will Ellis be back and be healthy? Is Ristolainen a top tier defender? Can Provorov and Sanheim continue to grow and improve? Are young defenders like Yegor Zamula, Cam York, Adam Ginning, and Ronnie Attard ready to step up? Will the Flyers sign and/or trade for a veteran defenseman?
Either way, signing Seeler is a cheap insurance policy for this team that could pay off well in the next year or so. His cap hit can be buried in the AHL, if that is indeed where he spends most of his time. He proved he can fill in when needed and should have that same exact role moving forward.