Home record 14–16–8 Goals for 174 (12th) | 1968–69 record 20–35–21 Road record 6–19–13 Goals against 225 (7th) | |
The 1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' second season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers lost in the quarterfinals to the St. Louis Blues for the second consecutive season.
Contents
Off-season
The Flyers coaxed Dick Cherry, who they selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, out of retirement by agreeing to a three-year contract.
Lou Angotti, the Flyers first captain, was involved in a three-team trade. The Flyers traded Angotti to the St. Louis Blues for Darryl Edestrand and Gerry Melnyk and the Blues subsequently traded Angotti to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Melnyk suffered a heart attack in training camp and retired to become a scout for the team.
The Flyers claimed veteran defenseman Allan Stanley in the reverse draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Regular season
Defenseman Ed Van Impe was named Angotti's replacement as captain in November.
Led by Van Impe and the team-leading 24 goals of Andre Lacroix, the Flyers struggled finishing 15 games under .500.
Playoffs
Despite the poor regular season showing, they made the playoffs; however, they were manhandled by St. Louis in a four-game sweep. Not wanting his team to be physically outmatched again, owner Ed Snider instructed General Manager Bud Poile to acquire bigger, tougher players.
Skaters
Records
Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 12, 1968, the day after the deciding game of the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 4, 1969, the day of the deciding game of the 1969 Stanley Cup Finals.
Trades
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
Re-signed
The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.
Draft picks
The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.
NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1968 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 12, 1968. Each NHL team placed 14 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. It cost $30,000 to make a claim.
The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Doug Favell and Bernie Parent, and skaters Dick Cherry, Gary Dornhoefer, Jean Gauthier, Earl Heiskala, Jim Johnson, Forbes Kennedy, Andre Lacroix, John Miszuk, Simon Nolet, Leon Rochefort, Brit Selby, Bill Sutherland, Ed Van Impe, and Joe Watson.
NHL Reverse Draft
The 1968 NHL Reverse Draft was held on June 13, 1968. The Reverse Draft featured American Hockey League (AHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL) teams selecting unprotected players from NHL teams. It cost $15,000 to make a claim.
Waivers
The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions.
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 (*).
NHL Amateur Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1968 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 13, 1968.
NHL Special Internal Amateur Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1968 NHL Special Internal Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 13, 1968. Sponsored players aged 20 before May 31, 1968, who played as amateurs during the 1967–68 season were eligible for selection.
Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Quebec Aces of the AHL, the Seattle Totems of the WHL, and the Jersey Devils of the EHL.