After escaping much of the season without too many players injured at once, the Flyers are getting nicked up just in time for the NHL's trade deadline and all the moves that precede it. Oskars Bartulis' season may have been ended by Scottie Upshall's hit, and Chris Pronger took a shot to the glove on Thursday, leaving the Flyers a little thin on the blue line. Sean O'Donnell returned from his knee injury faster than expected, but Paul Holmgren has made a quick move to keep his blue defense corps deep, claiming Nick Boynton, a veteran that was waived by the Blackhawks.
This article in the Chicago Sun Times sums up Boynton's season to date with the Blackhawks unceremoniously, citing his being scratched in 18 of their last 22 games, with reduced playing time as a result of struggles, turnovers, and the emergence of rookie Nick Leddy. Adam Jahns of the Sun Times expects that the Blackhawks are making room for another move before the deadline, possibly even adding another defenseman.
Fortunately, the Flyers aren't looking for anything more than a seventh/fill-in defenseman in this move, and Boynton—a member of the Cup-winning Blackhawks team—is plenty capable of stepping in as needed due to any injuries. The 32-year-old has a goal and eight points in 41 games this season. The Flyers will be his sixth NHL club, with his longest tenure coming with the Boston Bruins. His cap hit is a very manageable $500k, and he also brings a right-handed shot.
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Sure, there were more celebratory pictures of Boynton in the AP Photo pool, but I'm tired of seeing those, as I imagine you are. Hopefully, along with Kris Versteeg, Boynton will get another couple of photo ops with Lord Stanley.
Update: TSN's Bob McKenzie says the Flyers will temporarily (likely very temporarily) assign James van Riemsdyk to the Phantoms to make room for Boynton. With Erik Gustafsson already up and Chris Pronger possibly out, they needed the depth at D, and JVR doesn't have to pass through waivers to get to and from the AHL.