Could Flyers Sign Star Swedish Winger from SHL?

Star SHL winger Marcus Sylvegard is interested in pursuing a lifelong dream of playing in the NHL. The 24-year-old went undrafted and has never been under contract with an NHL club, though many teams have expressed varying degrees of interest in signing the Swede. The Philadelphia Flyers are not one of those teams, but they could end up being a dark horse in this race.

For those who don’t know or know of Sylvegard, he’s a 6-foot right wing who loves to shoot the puck and make plays; so far, Sylvegard has 23 goals, 18 assists, and 41 points in 50 SHL games with the Vaxjo Lakers this season. And, per his EliteProspects page, “Sylvegard has shown consistent will to retrieve pucks, and he battles hard along the wall in both the offensive and defensive zones.”

John Tortorella and the Flyers won’t tolerate players who don’t play hard on loose pucks; that’s (apparently) why Bobby Brink is out of the picture.

And, according to David Enbom, Sylvegard isn’t “. . .afraid to show emotions on the ice. Lacks a bit of routine to control himself whenever the game heats up a bit.” So if Sylvegard did end up with the Flyers, he’d give them another skilled player who plays with emotion and an edge. Who can say no to another Travis Konecny?

Although the Florida Panthers are reportedly the favorites to sign Sylvegard to an NHL contract, there are a few reasons why we can assume the Flyers have a fighting chance of securing his services.

Sylvegard played for Sweden’s U20 junior team in 2018-19, meaning he was teammates with three Flyers: Sam Ersson, Adam Ginning, and Olle Lycksell. The Vancouver Canucks also have three NHL connections to Sylvegard through that U20 team, but none of their three players were lineup regulars on that squad.

Overall, the Flyers do have a pretty large Swedish contingent among their ranks, including Ersson, Ginning, and Lycksell. Felix Sandstrom has secured his spot as the Flyers’ backup goalie for the time being, while defensemen Emil Andrae and Helge Grans are waiting in the wings with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.

We’ll see how the dominos fall once the SHL season ends, but I would not rule out the Flyers making an offer to Sylvegard after.

For more Flyers news and up-to-date coverage, visit Philly Hockey Now and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on 𝕏:
@PhillyHockeyNow,
@ByJonBailey,
@BroadStBull