The Flyers have brought back a name from the 2019-20 season in Nate Thompson to solidify their forward depth. The Alaska native played 23 games in the Orange & Black, including 16 postseason games, prior to his departure in the 2020-21 free agency period for the Winnipeg Jets. He returns on a one year, $800K AAV deal coming off of a season where he played 52 games (eight playoff games) and totaled two goals and five assists with the Jets.
Thompson was a decent enough defensive forward last year, grading out with a strong positive effect by RAPM xGA/60, but his negligible offensive impact, age (36, turns 37 in October), and overall lack of upside makes him a low-impact signing that arguably hurts the team by absorbing further salary space and potentially blocking Morgan Frost or Tanner Laczynski from becoming roster mainstays.