PHILADELPHIA —Looking at his call log, Chuck Fletcher saw he’d taken two calls yesterday while making 17. For the last three weeks, Fletcher said he’s been working the phones, trying to move his biggest pending unrestricted free agent, James van Riemsdyk. But when the 3 p.m. Friday deadline hit, to almost everyone’s surprise, van Riemsdyk remained on the Flyers’ roster.
Fletcher and his staff moved two players, enforcer Zack MacEwen and fourth-line center Patrick Brown, from their NHL roster Friday and one AHL player, winger Isaac Ratcliffe, Sunday. To get draft picks back for players they claimed off waivers was worthwhile, but it was overshadowed by the front office’s failure to move van Riemsdyk, the bare minimum expected.
According to Fletcher, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
