Division 2nd Atlantic 1997–98 record 42–29–11 Road record 18–18–5 | Conference 3rd Eastern Home record 24–11–6 Goals for 242 | |
The 1997–98 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers 31st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers lost their quarterfinal series with the Buffalo Sabres in five games.
Contents
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
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs
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.
Skaters
Goaltenders
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
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).
Offer sheets
The Flyers signed the following restricted free agents to offer sheets.
Re-signed
The following players were re-signed by the Flyers. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).
Entry level contracts
The following players — Flyers draft picks, undrafted free agents, and the unsigned draft picks of other teams — were signed by the Flyers to entry level contracts.
NHL Waiver Draft
The 1997 NHL Waiver Draft was held on September 28, 1997. Each NHL team placed 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. First-year professional players were exempt.
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.
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 (*).
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.
Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL.