The Philadelphia Flyers announced Friday afternoon that they have claimed goaltender Mike McKenna off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers are the third team to add McKenna to their roster in the past three days.
Flyers claim McKenna off waivers
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The Canucks acquired McKenna in a trade from the Ottawa Senators on January second. The team placed him on waivers the following day, and the Flyers claimed him Friday. McKenna appeared in just ten games with the Senators this season. He posted a 1-4-1 record alongside a 3.69 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. His single victory came from a November 27th win against the Flyers. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
What this means for the future
The Flyers have struggled with goaltending this season. With this claim, McKenna will be the seventh netminder to cycle through the team. They’ve already used Brian Elliott, Calvin Pickard, Carter Hart, Anthony Stolarz, Michal Neuvirth, and Alex Lyon. If the club does indeed dress McKenna for a game, they will hold the NHL record for the number of goalies dressed in a single season.
News of the claim broke with some speculation on what exactly is going on with the Flyers goaltending situation after Neuvirth was not on the ice for practice Friday. Shortly after, interim head coach Scott Gordon announced that Neuvirth is day-to-day with an injury. Neuvirth’s injury is ill-timed, as the club is already dealing with the loss of both Elliot and Stolarz. Neither netminder is expected to return to the lineup before February, especially with the Flyers being out of action from January 19 through the 28th. Coach Gordon confirmed Hart will get the start on Saturday when the Flyers faceoff against the Calgary Flames. McKenna will make the trip to Philadelphia serve as his backup.
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