1997–98 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 1997–98 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers 31st season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers lost their quarterfinal series with the Buffalo Sabres in five games.

Off-season

Less than a week after losing game four of the Stanley Cup Finals, head coach Terry Murray was fired. San Jose Sharks assistant coach Wayne Cashman was named his replacement on July 7, 1997.
The Flyers made two major acquisitions during the summer. On July 14, unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Richardson, formerly of the Edmonton Oilers, signed a five-year, $12.6 million contract. A month later the Flyers signed Group II restricted free agent centerman Chris Gratton of the Tampa Bay Lightning to a five-year, $16.5 million offer sheet which included a $9 million signing bonus. However, Tampa Bay claimed they had traded Gratton to the Chicago Blackhawks before the Flyers had signed Gratton. An arbitrator dismissed this and another claim that the offer sheet was illegible because the contract figures were smeared. Fearing Tampa Bay would match, the Flyers agreed to send defenseman Karl Dykhuis and right winger Mikael Renberg to the Lightning in exchange for the four first-round picks Tampa Bay would receive if they did not match.
34-year-old forward Dale Hawerchuk announced his retirement on August 25, 1997, due to a degenerative left hip.

Regular season

With the acquisitions of Gratton and Richardson, the Flyers were expected to make another Stanley Cup run. A 7–3–1 start came crashing down as the Devils posted a 5–0 road win on October 27. Although the club finished the calendar year with an 8–0 strafing of Vancouver on New Year's Eve and began 1998 with a 7–2 road win over Ottawa, there were signs of trouble for Wayne Cashman's team - notably bad shutout home losses to San Jose in November and Boston in early December.
In a move which shocked many in Philadelphia and around the NHL, Cashman was reassigned as assistant coach and Roger Neilson elevated to head coach following a 4–3 overtime victory against Pittsburgh on March 8.
The decision didn't seem to pay off, and after a 5–4 overtime win over the New York Rangers on March 22, the team limped to a 6–8–0 finish, including back-to-back 2–1 losses to the Rangers and Bruins to end the year.
On April 13 in a nationally televised 2–1 loss in Buffalo, John LeClair scored his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first American-born player to score 50 goals in three straight seasons.

Season standings

Playoffs

In a season in which the Flyers — despite a hard fall to the Detroit Red Wings the previous year — were heavily favored to repeat as Eastern champs and return to the Finals, they never came close, as they were dominated in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres in five games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 8, 1997, the day after the deciding game of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 16, 1998, the day of the deciding game of the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
June 12, 1997Jim MontgomeryKolner Haie 3-year*
July 10, 1997Jamie HewardToronto Maple Leafs1-year*
July 14, 1997Luke RichardsonEdmonton Oilers5-year
July 16, 1997Travis VanTighem Michigan Technical University 1-year*
August 12, 1997Chris GrattonTampa Bay Lightning5-year
September 4, 1997Chris JosephVancouver Canucks1-year
May 18, 1998Ryan BastSaint John Flames 2-year*

Internal

The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to entry level contracts. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerTermRef
June 18, 1997Kjell Samuelsson1 year
July 9, 1997Jean-Marc Pelletier *
July 10, 1997Martin Cerven 3-year*
July 15, 1997Craig Darby2-year*
July 15, 1997Neil Little1-year*
July 18, 1997Brett Bruininks1-year*
August 18, 1997Garth Snow1-year
September 3, 1997Dan Kordic2-year
September 12, 1997Chris Therien3-year
October 16, 1997Brantt Myhres1-year*
October 17, 1997John LeClair3-year
December 17, 1997Eric Lindros1-year

Waivers

The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. They were involved in one selection during the 1997 NHL Waiver Draft, which was held on September 28, 1997. The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltenders Neil Little and Dominic Roussel, defensemen Jason Bowen, Aris Brimanis, Jamie Heward, and John Stevens, and forwards Frank Bialowas, Bruce Coles, Scott Daniels, Craig Darby, John Druce, Dale Hawerchuk, Patrik Juhlin, Shawn McCosh, Jim Montgomery, and Peter White.
DatePlayerTeamRef
September 28, 1997Scott Danielsto New Jersey Devils

Departures

The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerNew team ViaRef
August 25, 1997Dale Hawerchuk—Retirement
N/APatrik JuhlinJokerit Free agency
N/AFrantisek KuceraHC Sparta Praha Free agency
N/ARyan SittlerSouth Carolina Stingrays Free agency
October 29, 1997Michel PetitDetroit Vipers Free agency
April 14, 1998Brantt Myhres*San Jose SharksRelease

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 21, 1997. The Flyers traded their third-round pick, 77th overall, to the Dallas Stars for the Stars' 1998 second-round pick on June 21, 1997. They also traded their fifth-round pick, 130th overall, and Bob Wilkie to the Chicago Blackhawks for Karl Dykhuis on February 16, 1995, and their seventh-round pick, 187th overall, to the Edmonton Oilers for Martin Cerven on June 18, 1997.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
230Jean-Marc PelletierGoaltenderUnited StatesCornell University
250Pat KavanaghRight WingCanadaPeterborough Petes
362Kris MalletteDefenseCanadaKelowna Rockets
4103Mikhail ChernovDefenseRussiaTorpedo Yaroslavl
6158Jordon FlodellDefenseCanadaMoose Jaw Warriors
7164Todd FedorukLeft WingCanadaKelowna Rockets
8214Marko KauppinenDefenseFinlandJYP Jr.
9240Par StyfDefenseSwedenModo Hockey Jrs.

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL.