Flyers re-sign forward Olle Lycksell to two-year contract

The Philadelphia Flyers continued locking up their restricted free agents on Thursday by re-upping Olle Lycksell on a two-year deal worth $1.575 million.

The Swede impressed with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms last year; his 45 points (14G, 31A) were second on the team only to Tyson Foerster (46P), a member of the AHL Top Prospects Team who played 66 games to Lycksell’s 53.

Lycksell had a limited NHL audition during which he collected a lone assist over 8 games, but he did enough last season to show he has potential as a pro in North America. The 23-year-old AHL standout was already a veteran of 221 SHL games, where he scored 42 goals and 95 points from 2017 to 2022.

Lycksell, a sixth-round pick in 2017, showed he is already a high-end AHLer, but there is no guarantee he will not ply his trade in that league again in 2023-2024.

Though the Flyers were wretched on offense last season, the return of veterans Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson will couple with the 2022-2023 emergence of Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, and Noah Cates to limit the forward roster spots on offer this fall.

Lycksell will need to compete with fellow rookies Elliot Desnoyers, who scored 23 times for the Phantoms last year, and former University of Denver star Bobby Brink as well as depth acquisition Ryan Poehling and forechecker Wade Allison for one or two spots in the Flyers’ lineup.

While there will be harsh cuts in training camp, GM Danny Briere and coach John Tortorella will be pleased with the level of competition in the group. The Phantoms will reap the benefits of the battle no matter who comes out on top.