Chuck Fletcher

Before the puck drops on the Flyers 2021-22 season, their busy offseason and several new faces bring about a number of storylines. Let’s take a look at 10 storylines that are worth watching this season for the Flyers.

The Flyers claimed forward Zack MacEwen from the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. To make room for MacEwen on the roster under the salary cap limit, the Flyers placed Kevin Hayes on long-term injured reserve.

Mike Yeo’s three-year run in Minnesota has been anything but easy. The Wild coach has had to navigate key injuries to his roster, his own growing pains in his first NHL head coaching job and the considerable expectations brought forth when the team’s owner spent nearly $200 million on two players two summers ago.

The Minnesota Wild traded for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov on Tuesday in conjunction with their decision to shut down ailing veteran Niklas Backstrom.

Josh Harding has been perhaps the feel-good story of the NHL season, putting up numbers unmatched for a goalie after revealing that he has multiple sclerosis. The Minnesota Wild goalie was placed on injured reserve Wednesday night to give him time to make adjustments to medication, and the team is confident he will return in top form.

After 15 years in the NHL, there’s a part of Matt Cooke’s game that he’d like to lose: his reputation for the rough stuff.

With precious little space left under the salary cap, the Minnesota Wild were looking for another experienced, puck-moving defenseman. Keith Ballard was seeking a fresh start, and thus the match was made. The Wild signed Ballard to a two-year, $3 million contract on Friday and also re-signed defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a three-year, $8 million contract.

The Minnesota Wild wasted no time settling their goaltending situation for the next few seasons. Niklas Backstrom made the decision a lot easier for them. The Wild re-signed Backstrom to a three-year, $10.25 million contract on Monday, keeping the veteran from becoming an unrestricted free agent next month.

Making the playoffs for the first time in five years should count as progress. For the Minnesota Wild, that step forward wasn't firm enough.