Flyers Bring Back Justin Braun On One Year Deal

Today’s a great day for getting a deal. No, I’m not talking about Amazon’s Prime Day. Today’s the first day of free agency in the NHL. While teams are scrambling to fill holes in their rosters and open up their wallets, the Flyers, so far, are sitting back and watching. However, they did come to terms with defender Justin Braun.

The 35 year old blueliner is back on a team friendly, cap friendly one year deal worth $1M. He spent the first nine years of his career in San Jose before spending three productive years in Philly. He was flipped at the trade deadline to the New York Rangers this past March for a 2023 third round pick.

For a team in desperate need of help at the right price, this deal does help as the Flyers are cash strapped. This could presage another deal to be made as the team pursues other free agents.

While in Philly, Braun was a solid defensive presence. While he was never a scoring threat, he was the type of defender who can dole out a hit and play physically without being reckless. In three years, he racked up only 72 min of penalty minutes while averaging over 18 min of ice time.

Braun will bring a steady veteran presence that can help a Flyers defense that is in a period of transition. With the Tony DeAngelo trade last week, the Flyers defensive pairings could looking something like:

Ivan Provorov-Tony DeAngelo

Justin Braun-Travis Sanheim,

Rasmus Ristolainen-Cam York

Ryan Ellis is still injured, and his season could be in doubt. The Flyers will also have Ronnie Attard and Nick Seeler to throw out there. If this season goes well, Braun’s playoff experience with the Sharks and, most recently, the Rangers will come in handy. If the season starts to go south, Braun could be an attractive piece to a team looking to contend and make a deep run.

Either way, it’s great to see Brauny back in orange and black. Let’s also hope this isn’t going to be the last deal of the day for Chuck Fletcher.