It was reported earlier today that the Columbus Blue Jackets placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on waivers for the purpose of a buyout. Should the 23-year-old clear waivers, the Blue Jackets will buy out the final year of his 3-year, $7.8 million deal that he signed in the summer of 2022. While the Philadelphia Flyers have a slight logjam on defense, is there room for the right-handed Boqvist?
Hailing from Falun, Sweden, Boqvist was drafted with the 8th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He was selected one pick after Quinn Hughes, 2 picks before Evan Bouchard, 4 picks before Noah Dobson, and 6 picks before the Flyers drafted Joel Farabee. He entered the draft ranked as the second-best European skater, behind just top pick Rasmus Dahlin.
During his draft season, Boqvist scored 14 goals and 24 points in 25 games for Brynäs IF J20 and 1 assist in 15 games for Brynäs IF of the SHL. He joined the London Knights ahead of the 2018-19 season and exploded for 20 goals and 60 points in just 54 games before making the leap to the big leagues in 2019-20.
During his rookie season, Boqvist tallied 4 goals and 13 points in 41 games for the Blackhawks and added 6 points in 15 games for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. The following year was the COVID-shortened season where Boqvist scored 2 goals and 16 points in 35 games, but that would be his last as a member of the Blackhawks after he was traded to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones blockbuster deal right before the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Jones was moved to Chicago alongside a late first round pick for Boqvist, the 12th overall pick, a 2021 second round pick, and a 2022 or 2023 first round pick. Chicago also immediately extended Jones to an 8-year deal worth $76 million – a cap hit of $9.5 million per season.
Injuries have limited Boqvist’s development as he appeared in just 52 games in 2021-22, 46 games in 2022-23, and 35 games in 2023-24 for a grand total of 133 games out of a possible 246. This year alone, Boqvist missed 13 games in December and January due to a shoulder strain, he missed 3 games before the All-Star break after being hit by an errant puck while on the bench, and then missed the final 16 games of the season due to a concussion.
In 2021-22, Boqvist scored 11 goals and 22 points in 52 games while playing 17:03 ATOI in his first season with Columbus before recording 5 goals and 24 points in 46 games the following year while seeing 18:38 ATOI, which included 9 power play points. His season was cut short as he suffered through three injuries: a foot injury, an upper-body injury, and a lower-body injury.
This past season, Boqvist tallied 10 points in 35 games, was -8, added 4 power play points, averaged 18:17 of ice time, and blocked 42 shots. His analytical numbers were above average with a 53.8 CF%, 6.4 CF% rel, 52.2 FF%, and 5.2 FF% rel in all situations. He also saw 72.7 minutes on the power play after playing in 140.6 minutes the year prior but only played in 2.3 shorthanded minutes.
Boqvist is an offensive-minded defenseman who would need a stable, reliable, and more defensive-minded partner but is there any room on the Flyers roster? As for a fit, there assuredly is one as he is just 23-years-old, is a coveted right-handed shot, and is an excellent power play quarterback, which the Flyers could always use help with.
However with Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nick Seeler expected to take 5 roster spots, that would only leave one open for Ronnie Attard, Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, Egor Zamula, and any depth option they plan on signing this summer.
Both Drysdale and Ristolainen suffered through injuries in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Drysdale sustained a season-ending injury just 8 games into his 2022-23 season, missed a good chunk of the start of the 2023-24 season before being dealt by Anaheim, and then missed 16 games for the Flyers near the end of the season due to a shoulder injury. He returned with a month to spare but underwent surgery in the offseason for a core muscle issue. The Flyers reported that he should be ready for training camp.
Ristolainen has been with the Flyers for three seasons but has yet to take part in Opening Night festivities due to injuries. He played in 66 games in 2021-22, 74 games in 2022-23, but only 31 games in 2023-24. Ristolainen went down with a mysterious injury in February that was first deemed week-to-week, although it was always believed to be worse for wear. He never returned and underwent surgery for a ruptured triceps tendon. Similarly to Drysdale, he is also expected to be ready for training camp.
Last year we also saw what happened when their depth was tested with Drysdale, Ristolainen, and Seeler all sustaining injuries within 2 weeks of one another. After Sean Walker was traded, the Flyers had to use Marc Staal, Erik Johnson, Ginning, and Attard – sometimes altogether. Adding Boqvist into the fray wouldn’t hurt considering the injury history of the some of the aforementioned players, he also wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and would be able to help a downtrodden power play.
Boqvist is looking to increase his value as well so a fit for the Flyers isn’t necessarily outstretched. If he can remain healthy, he would be a solid third-pair defenseman for a season, he can have his minutes sheltered a little bit by playing with a more defensive-minded player like Seeler, and he could have a primary role on the power play. Should injuries ravage the Flyers again, Boqvist can jump up in the depth chart and play second-pair minutes (as evidenced by his 17:26 ATOI) and above average analytical numbers.
