Kevin Connauton Claimed Off Waivers by Flyers from Panthers

The Philadelphia Flyers claimed defenseman Kevin Connauton off waivers on Tuesday afternoon. Connauton was previously waived by the Florida Panthers on Monday.

Connauton, a 31-year old left-handed defenseman from Edmonton, Alberta, currently has zero points in 13 appearances this season, all previously with Florida.

He was drafted in 2009 by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round, and has spent parts of nine seasons in the NHL with the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, and Colorado Avalanche as well as the Panthers.

Connauton brings 334 games of NHL experience to Philadelphia, in which he has recorded 27 goals and 50 assists for 77 points in that span. He will likely serve in a depth role with the team, either as the sixth or seventh defenseman.

Connauton spent most of last season on Florida’s taxi squad, only appearing in seven contests. He spent the previous season between the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

The Flyers have struggled terribly over the last month or so, and defensively their structure is going away. As a result their play as suffered and is a part of a laundry list of the team’s problems. Connauton is here to help provide some stability to the third pairing and give the Flyers an extra defender to work with in the wake of Ryan Ellis’ injury.

Should Connauton come to the Flyers in time, he could enter Mike Yeo’s lineup tomorrow night in Newark when Philadelphia takes on the New Jersey Devils, but that remains to be seen.