March 02, 2015
Not long after Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline passed, the Flyers announced that they signed left winger Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to a contract extension.
General manager Ron Hextall told reporters that the deal is for two years, according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, and is reportedly worth $1.425 million, carrying a cap hit of $712,500 per year. The soon-to-be-30-year-old came to the Flyers from Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he spent the previous five seasons*.
In 62 games this season, his first in Philadelphia, Bellemare has scored four goals to go with his four assists for a total of eight points in 62 games this season.
Overall, Bellemare played eight seasons in Sweden -- three with Leksands IF of Sweden’s second division; five with Skelleftea. A native of Paris, France, Bellamere played for his country at the 2014 World Championships, recording three goals and five assists in eight games.
However, this is just a blip on the radar compared to the other deals the Flyers have made in the last 72 hours.
First, the team sent Kimmo Timonen, who has been sidelined all season with blood clots in his leg and lungs, to the Blackhawks on Friday for a second-round pick and a conditional pick. Then, in the early morning hours on Monday, they dealt veteran defenseman Braydon Coburn to the Lightning in exchange for two picks and Radko Gudas, a 24-year-old defenseman.
The Flyers are currently six points behind the Bruins for the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot with 19 games remaining. They'll return to action Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they host the Calgary Flames at the Wells Fargo Center.
