Philadelphia Flyers sign defenseman Erik Gustafsson

Flyers fans can finally breathe, Chuck Fletcher has made a move to help fill the hole left after Matt Niskanen’s retirement.

Gustafsson, 28, spent last season with the Calgary Flames after a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline posting a stat-line of six goals, 23 assists, for a total of 29 points. The deal comes in at one-year with an AAV of 3 million.

Welcome to Philly, @ErkanGustafsson!

We’ve signed the 28-year-old blueliner to a one-year contract worth an AAV of $3.0M. https://t.co/CivbrJGkDq

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 12, 2020

This is a great move, Gustafsson should slot into the Flyers top-four with ease and will provide the breakouts and puck movement we so desperately needed after losing Niskanen.

It’s going to be interesting to see what the Flyers do from here on out, if anything, but this move is solid and was much needed. Also, because this move is a one-year deal it leaves the books before the expansion draft, removing all panic of losing one of our young developing defenseman.

Let’s all breathe now.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today