Weal re-signs for 2-year extension worth $3.5 M
You could argue that Jordan Weal found a career rebirth in the lovely city of Allentown last hockey season, which translated into an almost transformative late-season stay with the Flyers.
Living up to what he’d done in the minor leagues, where he stood out for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season and was a Calder Cup playoff MVP two years before while winning an AHL title with the Manchester Monarchs, Weal scored eight goals and 12 points in 23 games with the Flyers.
In the process, he went from somewhat of an organizational afterthought to a guy who was part of the future plan.
The only potential wrench in that was Weal was scheduled to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent July 1 at the tender age of 25.
Weal’s growth after his Feb. 10 recall from the Phantoms spurred much interest, sending him on a potential free agent tour in recent days that took him to several NHL ports of call, including one to his hometown team the Vancouver Canucks. Yet Weal decided Thursday night to re-sign with the Flyers.
They get to keep their diminutive but edgy and talented center via a two-year, $3.5 million extension, avoiding free agency.
“You know, it’s awesome. They gave me a great chance last year to play with some great players,” said Weal, who became a Flyer in early January of 2016, when he was made part of the deal that sent both Luke Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier (and his salary) to Los Angeles.
“I think this is a group that’s heading in the right direction,” Weal added. “I think we have a lot of talent and skill, especially with some of the additions we made. I’m just really excited to kind of get back and start up the year the way we were finishing it and the way we were playing hockey; it was a good brand and a good style.
“I’m just excited to get back and see the guys and continue to keep getting better as a group.”
When recalled from the Phantoms in February, Weal was second in scoring in the AHL with 15 goals and 47 points in 43 games. With the Flyers, he got better as those final weeks progressed, though the club was clearly headed to a non-playoff finish. Weal still averaged a point per game over his last seven games, drawing raves for his play and his work ethic and boding well for the immediate future.
Just one thing — they had to get past that free agency thing.
As it turned out, Weal was only exploring his options before deciding to stay on.
“You can’t put too much expectation or too much hype into anything right off the bat,” Weal said. “You just have to take it as it is, and take every game and every practice and try to get better and better and try to win hockey games. That’s what we’re trying to do.
“We’re trying to make the playoffs and I think we have the group to do that. That’s what it’s going to be all about, winning games right from the start and carry that through for the rest of the season.”