Flyers claim former Islanders top prospect off waivers

The Philadelphia Flyers claimed Kieffer Bellows off waivers from the New York Islanders, giving the team a new young forward to add to the lineup. Bellows has played in just a single game so far this season.

After making sure they added quite a bit of toughness in the offseason, the Flyers continue to target physical players with the acquisition of Bellows. The difference here is that the 2016 first-round pick also has quite a bit of scoring upside. The 24-year-old was once an incredible sniper at the junior level and has shown the ability to score at the AHL level as well.

Even in the NHL, he has 11 goals and 25 points in 68 games despite averaging just over 11 minutes a night. He has added 154 hits during that time and had a fight against Max Pacioretty after the Vegas Golden Knights forward took a run at Andy Greene. That sort of protect-your-teammates style is certainly going to fit in well with John Tortorella’s group, though Bellows will have to bring some consistency to his game if he wants to remain a regular in Philadelphia.

Given that the Flyers issued grim updates on both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson Thursday morning, it comes as no surprise that they would be interested in an addition. Whether Bellows can live up to expectations remains to be seen, but there are certainly worse bets to make. The young forward is on a one-year, $1.2M contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.