After spending the first half of the season in the AHL, Andrew MacDonald made his return to the Flyers due to a Michael Del Zotto injury. But the same weaknesses in his game remained.
With the Philadelphia Flyers facing a logjam of eight defensemen on the roster at the conclusion of training camp, general manager Ron Hextall made the tough choice and sent MacDonald and his six-year, $30 million contract down to the AHL. The reasoning was obvious -- a spot had to be cleared, and Hextall rightfully believed that no team would pluck MacDonald off the waivers that were necessary for re-assignment to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.