Flyers Further Address AHL Depth With Nolan Foote

With all the focus being paid to the Leo Carlsson offer sheet and the possible Claude Giroux return arc, the Philadelphia Flyers made a depth move by signing forward Nolan Foote to a one-year deal, which was reported by PuckPedia and confirmed by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel.

The left-winger was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 27th overall selection. He never played for the Lightning after they traded him, alongside a first-round pick, to the New Jersey Devils for Blake Coleman in 2020.

The son of former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote, Nolan has just 42 games of NHL experience across 6 different seasons with New Jersey and Florida. However, he does bring a lot of experience from the minor leagues with 76 goals and 161 points in 245 games.

He spent his junior years with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL, where he scored 36 goals and 63 points in 66 games during his draft year. He was set for a career-year the following season with 15 goals and 33 points in 27 games before the league was shut down due to COVID.

Foote signed a two-way contract, essentially paving his way for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to start the year. He can always look to make inroads towards a promotion to the NHL, but the Phantoms have undergone quite the retool this summer, and this signing should help.

The 25-year-old is coming off a season in which he scored 14 goals and 32 points in 54 games for the Charlotte Checkers. He is also only two years removed from scoring 18 goals and four years out from his career-high 20 goals.