Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
With the way that the Philadelphia Flyers keep on signing defenseman this offseason, it’s like they forgot how many roster spots that actually have on their blueline.
On Thursday, while announcing the rookie camp roster, which is set to begin September 6, the team announced that they have re-signed defenceman Brandon Manning to a one-year, two-way deal. The team is allowed to have 50 contracts on their salary cap, and this signing is No. 49. That means that they are cutting it pretty close if they want to re-sign veteran Simon Gagne.
Manning has been in the Flyers system for a few years and has been active with the Adirondack Phantoms as one of the alternative captains. He was also an AHL all-star last season and has seen his fair share of NHL ice time.
On the Phantoms, there is a group of prospects that typically get called up towards the end of the Flyers season and play in a few playoff games. They are called the Black Aces, and Manning is almost always among them.
Manning is becoming well known to the Flyers and could be a really good blueliner, but there is one problem. He has a penchant for taking penalties.
Manning has among the most penalty minutes on the Phantoms roster, which could be a problem if he ever manages to get a permanent spot on the Flyers roster. With players like Zac Rinaldo and Adam Hall taking quite a huge amount of PIMS, this may be why Manning has not earned his spot with the pro team. They may just see him as a liablity; however, he is still young, so this sort of thing could be fixed in development.
Deanna Vasso is a Flyers writer for Rant Sports, you can follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook and join her Google network
