July 01, 2026

Flyers sign veteran C Noel Acciari, add bottom-six grit

Noel Acciari is a heavy-checking and right-shot center who will replace Garnet Hathaway and (likely) Luke Glendening on the Philadelphia bottom line.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Kyle Ross/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Veteran center Noel Acciari will bring grit back into the bottom of the Flyers' lineup.

Veteran center Noel Acciari is signing a two-year free agent deal with the Flyers at a $2.8 million annual cap hit, the team announced Wednesday.

Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman was first to report.

Acciari, 34, is a heavy-checking and right-shot forward who will bring some grit back into the bottom of the Flyers' lineup following last week's trade of bruiser Garnet Hathaway to Florida for draft picks.

He might also be the replacement for the late-season and key veteran waiver pickup Luke Glendening, since Acciari can take faceoffs as a right-hander alongside captain Sean Couturier, who shoots from the left. Acciari is also three years younger than the 37-year-old Glendening.

OFFICIAL: We have agreed to terms with forward Noel Acciari on a two-year contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $2.8 million.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 1, 2026

Acciari played 67 games last season, posting 13 goals and 12 assists (25 points) with a plus-14 rating for the rival Pittsburgh Penguins' own run to the playoffs. He also held a 52.0-percent win percentage at the faceoff dot.

The two intrastate rivals clashed in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and though the Flyers had the upper hand for much of the series and went on to win it in six games, they also got to see Acciari's brand of tough skating up close before they moved on to Carolina in the second round.

General manager Danny Brière and president of hockey ops Keith Jones likely kept that in mind about Acciari as they started to layout their offseason plans.