Roster Moves and Cap Implications

Ben Holmstrom has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers | Photo courtesy of http://www.phantomshockey.com/

By Tyler J. Altemose (@TJamesAltemose)

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have recalled F Ben Holmstrom of the Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate. The 6’1″ captain of the Phantoms, fresh off a Gordie Howe hat trick Saturday night, has 8G and 8A through 25 games. Holmstrom will be joining the team in the absence of Sean Couturier. Couturier was injured during Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins after taking a shot from defenseman Kimmo Timonen to the side of the head.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has announced that Couturier was taken to Pennsylvania Hospital where he underwent examinations. He reportedly passed the tests but is undergoing further evaluation for possible skull or internal damage. He will not be joining the team as they head west for a few road games.

The Flyers have also announced that Andreas Lilja has ended his conditioning stint with the Adirondack Phantoms and will rejoin the team. The 36-year-old defenseman has been out of action since November 26 with a high ankle sprain.

With Lilja coming off of LTIR and Holmstrom being recalled, the Flyers now have enough LTI relief to afford a yearly contract of approximately $2M. Furthermore, the team has 24 active members, one above the league’s maximum of 23. This means that a player has to be sent down to the Phantoms for the Flyers to be cap compliant. While the team has yet to give word on who that player will be, it is believed that it will be Tom Sestito.

Tom Sestito competed with Zac Rinaldo for one of the last positions on the Flyers roster before being cut after being handed a suspension by the NHL during the preseason. Although he has played the entirety of the 2011-12 season with the Phantoms, he was recalled Wednesday by the Flyers to serve the rest of his NHL suspension.