- May 21, 2026
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The Philadelphia Flyers went a long way toward satisfying their need for right-shot center depth by signing veteran pivot Noel Acciari and former Vancouver Canucks second-round selection Danila Klimovich shortly after free agency opened on Wednesday.
Flyers fans will remember Acciari well from their recent playoff tilt with the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins, for whom Acciari formed a formidable fourth line alongside fellow forechecking buzzsaws Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte.
Now, Acciari moves across the Keystone State to Philadelphia, where his tireless workrate in unglamorous deployments will surely erase any lingering animosity leftover from a spirited first-round battle.
A capable faceoff man (51.4% for career) and willing penalty killer (Acciari has finished 23rd or better in shots blocked by a forward in each of the past four seasons), Acciari will likely replace Luke Glendening, who is suddenly unlikely to resign with the Flyers, on coach Rick Tocchet’s fourth line.
Glendening and Flyer captain Sean Couturier’s ability to trade off strong-side faceoffs and bang around on the forecheck was critical both to Philadelphia’s late surge into the postseason and subsequent series victory. Acciari, who turns 35 in December, will try to replicate that chemistry with Couturier over the next two seasons while offering significantly more offensive upside (Acciari scored at least 13 G for the third time in 2025-26) than Glendening.
Meanwhile, Klimovich joins up on a two-way contract to provide secondary offense, whether in a down-lineup role with the big club or as a featured player for AHL Lehigh Valley. The 41st overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Belarusian never did get a look in Vancouver despite his size (6’2, 202 lbs), pedigree, and some decent seasons with the AHL Abbotsford Canucks (70 G in 281 career AHL GP).
That Klimovich didn’t break through even for last year’s last-placed ‘Nucks suggests this is primarily a move to bolster Lehigh Valley’s firepower ahead of what figures to be an important developmental season in the ‘A’ for such prospects as Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko.
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Flyers fans will remember Acciari well from their recent playoff tilt with the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins, for whom Acciari formed a formidable fourth line alongside fellow forechecking buzzsaws Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte.
Now, Acciari moves across the Keystone State to Philadelphia, where his tireless workrate in unglamorous deployments will surely erase any lingering animosity leftover from a spirited first-round battle.
A capable faceoff man (51.4% for career) and willing penalty killer (Acciari has finished 23rd or better in shots blocked by a forward in each of the past four seasons), Acciari will likely replace Luke Glendening, who is suddenly unlikely to resign with the Flyers, on coach Rick Tocchet’s fourth line.
Glendening and Flyer captain Sean Couturier’s ability to trade off strong-side faceoffs and bang around on the forecheck was critical both to Philadelphia’s late surge into the postseason and subsequent series victory. Acciari, who turns 35 in December, will try to replicate that chemistry with Couturier over the next two seasons while offering significantly more offensive upside (Acciari scored at least 13 G for the third time in 2025-26) than Glendening.
Meanwhile, Klimovich joins up on a two-way contract to provide secondary offense, whether in a down-lineup role with the big club or as a featured player for AHL Lehigh Valley. The 41st overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Belarusian never did get a look in Vancouver despite his size (6’2, 202 lbs), pedigree, and some decent seasons with the AHL Abbotsford Canucks (70 G in 281 career AHL GP).
That Klimovich didn’t break through even for last year’s last-placed ‘Nucks suggests this is primarily a move to bolster Lehigh Valley’s firepower ahead of what figures to be an important developmental season in the ‘A’ for such prospects as Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko.
Continue reading...