Philadelphia Flyers‘ 4th year defenseman Andy Welinski(3) signed his first one-year one-way deal on the opening day of unrestricted free agency for a modest $750,000 AAV after reaching group 6 status.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. blue liner agreed to terms after 3 seasons with draft club (3rd round, 2011, #83 overall) Anaheim Ducks, where he played 33 NHL games over two campaigns, 26 of them in 2018/2019.
He’s been reassigned to affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms and must be invaluable to the youngsters in the AHL, but he’s also putting up points at 4 goals and 8 assists in 14 games with a +6 rating.
His 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points in 2017/2018 for San Diego Gulls are high marks but they could definitely fall if he spends significant time in the minors during the current session.
At only 26-years old, the former four-time 10+ assist guy in NCAA hockey should be able to continue to find big league deals but may opt for something else if the right opportunity pops up.