- Flyers signed Hunter McDonald to a two-year deal worth $912,500 per season
- The 6-foot-4 defenseman made his NHL debut in April and picked up an assist
- Read below for the contract structure and where he fits on Philadelphia’s blue line
The Flyers cleared one of the last items off their restricted free agent list on Tuesday.
Philadelphia signed defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year contract worth $912,500 per season, per a team announcement. Total value on the deal is $1.825 million.
The structure says more than the number does. Year one is a two-way deal, so McDonald can move between Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley without costing the club cap space in the minors. Year two is one-way, which reads like the Flyers want him in the NHL for good by 2027-28.
McDonald turned 24 in May and just finished his second full pro season. He had six assists and 92 penalty minutes in 65 games with the Phantoms, leading their blue line in the box by a wide margin.
His NHL debut came in the season finale on April 14 against Montreal. McDonald picked up an assist and finished plus-3 in his one game.
Catch his media availability from that night:
Size is the calling card here. At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, the Fairport, New York native leans on reach, physicality and shot blocking instead of offense.
Over 147 career AHL games he has 27 points, four of them goals. He also has two goals in 13 Calder Cup Playoff appearances.
Before turning pro, McDonald spent two seasons at Northeastern and posted 20 points with a plus-24 rating in 58 college games. Philadelphia took him 165th overall in the 2022 draft, then signed him to an entry-level deal in April 2024.
This is the latest move in a busy summer on the Flyers back end, one that also included a four-year extension for Jamie Drysdale in July.
Travis Sanheim and Cameron York sit atop the left side, with Nick Seeler behind them. McDonald walks into camp trying to force his way into that group.
He gets his first look on Sept. 21, when the Flyers open the preseason against Washington in Hershey.
