VOORHEES, N.J. — Connor Bunnaman had teammates celebrating around him at the end of practice Friday.
Will it be the last time with his teammates?
The question is legitimate because the 23-year-old center was placed on waivers Friday afternoon. Bunnaman is no longer exempt from waivers, so in order for the Flyers to loan him to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, he must go unclaimed Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
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The Flyers needed roster space with Rasmus Ristolainen and Patrick Brown set to come off injured reserve for the club's next game Monday at home against the Hurricanes (3 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
To finish practice Friday, the Flyers held a shootout competition in which Bunnaman won and enjoyed it with his teammates. A little over a half hour later, he was placed on waivers.
Bunnaman, a 2016 fourth-round pick, has played 15 games for the Flyers this season. He has gone scoreless with a minus-7 rating and 53.3 faceoff win percentage.
As a hard-working, under-the-radar prospect with the ability to play center or winger, Bunnaman won a role in the Flyers' 2019-20 season-opening lineup. He gained valuable experience down the stretch of that season before the trade deadline, when the Flyers acquired Derek Grant and Nate Thompson. Prior to those moves, Bunnaman had become the club's fourth-line center. He was a plus-7 in 21 regular-season games and then played four games in the playoffs.
NHL
Bunnaman is in the first year of a two-year, $1.5 million contract ($750,000 annual cap hit) that he signed last summer. The deal is a two-way contract this season and a one-way contract next season.
There's a good chance Bunnaman will go unclaimed just considering that for a club to claim him, he must stay on its NHL roster. If a club does claim Bunnaman and wants to loan him to the AHL, he must go through waivers again.
Update: Bunnaman clears waivers, loaned to Phantoms
Ristolainen (upper body) and Brown (MCL sprain) are on track to return to the Flyers' lineup Monday. Both players practiced Friday. Ristolainen was back on his usual defensive pair with Travis Sanheim, while Brown was on the Flyers' fourth line. Both said they're aiming to be back Monday.
"Without rushing into anything too much, it was a really good practice today. Both guys got involved in the battle drills," Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo said. "Tomorrow's a scheduled day off for the group, we'll have that, then we'll have another practice and we'll make the decision after that. Great to have them out there."
The Flyers traded for Ristolainen during the summer. The Finnish blueliner is on the final year of a six-year, $32.4 million contract.
"The goal when we traded for him was to keep him," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Jan. 26. "And obviously he's a pending UFA, he will control a lot of that discussion and we'll work with his representation to see what makes sense."
With the Flyers sitting at a disappointing 15-25-9, Ristolainen's name will likely surface in trade rumors ahead of the March 21 deadline just given the 27-year-old can test the unrestricted free-agent market in the offseason.
"I've been in the rumors for the last three, four years, so you kind of get used to it," Ristolainen said with a smile Friday. "Those are things you can't control, so I haven't thought about it for a minute.
"I just have enough things to worry about in my personal life, so that keeps me busy."
More: Commend the captain, Giroux doesn't have just his future in mind with trade call
The Flyers claimed Brown off of waivers in October ahead of their regular-season opener. The 29-year-old has been limited to 20 games because of the MCL sprain, a dislocated thumb and COVID-19.
"Philly gave me an opportunity to play in the league I want to play in and that's been awesome," Brown said Friday. "But I've got to stay healthy so that I can contribute for the team."
Brown said it was about four or five days ago when he felt he turned a corner with his knee issue.
"It's kind of one of those injuries where you get little tweaks and it kind of yanks at it if you do certain motions with the ankle-bending," Brown said. "About four or five days ago, I started getting fewer and fewer. Then today, I only had one on the ice. I'm feeling more confident on it. I think one more practice will be great and I should be ready to go."
Kevin Hayes (abdominal) and Joel Farabee (upper body) also practiced. Neither are set to return yet. Yeo touched on Hayes' status after morning skate Thursday. Following Friday's practice, Yeo said Farabee is "getting close" and hasn't been ruled out for the Flyers' game next Saturday against the Capitals (12:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Farabee still needs to be cleared for a full contact practice.
Ryan Ellis (upper body) had a very light skate Friday.
"Basically not supervised," Yeo said. "Just kind of coasting around out there, but just to touch the ice."
The Flyers' focus for Ellis remains next season. The top-pair defenseman has played four games this season.
"What's ailing him this year hasn't ailed him before, so it's hard to know how these things happen," Fletcher said a week ago. "He's dealing with it the best he can. At this point, really, our focus is on next year and trying to do what's best for him and for our club going forward."
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