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Flyers Claim LW Who Disappointed Isles; Son of Ex-NHL Great

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Kieffer Bellows, Philadelphia Flyers

The injury-riddled Philadelphia Flyers claimed left winger Kieffer Bellows off waivers Thursday from the New York Islanders.

He is a former first-round draft pick who underachieved with the Isles.

The Flyers are hoping he finally blossoms.

Bellows, 24, a Minnesota native who was first-round draft pick (19th overall) in 2016, had 25 points, including 11 goals, in 68 career games with the Isles.

During the 2016 draft, the Philadelphia Flyers chose German Rubtsov, who turned out to be a bust, with the 22nd overall pick — three choices after Bellows.

Bellows played one game with New York this season. In 125 career AHL games, he had 50 points (34-16).

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Bellows, who played at Boston University in 2016-17 (two years before Joel Farabee was there), has a $1.2 million cap hit.

When he was drafted, Bellows was projected to be a high-scoring forward. That didn’t happen, though he did excel in the 2018 World Juniors for bronze-winning Team USA. He set a USA record for most goals (nine) in a single tournament that year, breaking the mark set by Jeremy Roenick (eight).

According to Stefen Rosner of New York Islanders Hockey Now, Bellows had a strong preseason and earned a spot in the 2022 opening-game lineup.

It was the only game he played.

Islanders coach Lane Lambert told Rosner that Bellows had done nothing wrong to not play again.

Bellows, who plays with a physical, feisty style, has a strong shot, but lacks speed. He has an average motor at best, and finished solidly in 2021-22.

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“I view myself as a regular in a lineup,” Bellows told NYI Hockey Now after signing in late August. “That’s what I want to be. I want to be making a significant impact from Day 1. That’s what I plan to do.”

He is the son of Brian Bellows, who played in the NHL from 1982-99, recording 1,022 points, including 485 goals, in 1,188 games.

The younger Bellows received praise from Lambert throughout training camp, but he played just 7:16 in the Isles’ season-opening 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

He was on the ice for the first Florida goal, and his defensive-zone giveaway led to the score.

Earlier this week, Bellows, who won World Junior gold with Team USA in 2017, told Rossner he was “confident” he could help a team. He said he needed playing time to show what he could do.

Will Flyers coach John Tortorella give him that chance?

Stay tuned.

As for Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers (4-2) host the Florida Panthers (4-2-1). Carter Hart will face Sergei Bobrovsky, an ex-Flyer who has dominated his former team.

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