Issac: Taking a Look at the Flyers Big Round of Cuts

The decisions are about to get tougher for head coach Dave Hakstol and general manager Ron Hextall and the calls they made Thursday were hard enough.

After returning five players to their junior teams and sending 13 more to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the roster stands at 35 healthy players. By Oct. 3, the NHL requires rosters of no more than 23 players.

Here’s a look at each player cut by the Flyers Thursday.

LW Connor Bunnaman (2016 fourth-round pick, Kitchener Rangers, OHL)

The NHL and Canadian Hockey League have an agreement where players who are younger than 20 by the end of the year cannot be loaned to the AHL. Bunnaman might’ve been a candidate for that after a rather strong camp, but it’s back to the Kitchener Rangers for him.

Bunnaman put on 10 pounds since the Flyers drafted him and grew a couple inches. He signed his entry-level contract in April and finished the season on an amateur tryout with the Phantoms.

“I was pretty surprised I signed early,” Bunnaman said recently. “I’m not complaining, obviously. I thought I had a pretty good year. Going up to Lehigh was pretty fun and a good experience. I’m glad I signed.”