Flyers claim forward Kieffer Bellows off waivers from the New York Islanders
Bellows, 24, was a 2016 first-round pick after putting up prolific numbers as a goal scorer with the United States National Team Development Program.
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Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher was active on the waiver wire again on Thursday, claiming forward Kieffer Bellows from the New York Islanders.
Bellows, 24, was selected No. 19 overall by the Islanders in the 2016 draft, the same draft when the Flyers traded down from No. 18 to No. 22 and nabbed forward German Rubtsov. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Bellows has played 68 NHL games over the course of four seasons, registering 11 goals and 14 assists.
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This season, Bellows played just one game on Oct. 13 against the Florida Panthers before becoming a healthy scratch for the Islanders’ next six games. The Edina, Minn., native was a prolific scorer with the U.S. National Team Development Program, scoring 50 goals in 62 games during the 2015-16 season. He also starred for Boston University (2017), the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (2018), and for Team USA at the 2018 World Juniors before turning pro. However, he has yet to carve out a similar role at the NHL level.
In 125 games with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, Bellows scored 34 goals, collected 16 assists, and tallied 150 penalty minutes. Bellows is the son of former NHL player Brian Bellows, who played for five teams during a 17-year career in which he racked up 1,022 points in 1,188 games.
The Flyers are in need of bodies with injuries cropping up, the latest suffered by winger James van Riemsdyk (fractured finger), who is expected to miss about a month. They’re also in need of scoring contributions up front, with center Sean Couturier (back) and winger Cam Atkinson (upper body) out indefinitely.
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Bellows is in the final year of his deal and will come with just under a $1.1 million salary-cap hit this season, according to CapFriendly. The Flyers are able to accommodate his salary because of the cap relief created by placing defenseman Ryan Ellis on long-term injured reserve.
This is Fletcher’s second waiver claim in roughly one week. On Oct. 19, Fletcher claimed center Lukáš Sedlák off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche to solidify the team’s fourth line.