Ronnie Attard has been in the Philadelphia Flyers organization since 2019, when they drafted him in the third round. The 25-year-old has been a star in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but has had difficulty getting a chance in the NHL due to the Flyers' depth on the back-end.
Attard had a good chance to make the team out of camp, but lost out to Emil Andrae and Helge Grans.
With the Philadelphia Flyers in somewhat of a no-man's land at the moment, with young defensemen such as Jamie Drysdale and Cam York having guaranteed roster spots, as well as Travis Sanheim and the newly revitalized Rasmus Ristolainen, there just aren't many spots left.
John Tortorella would likely be a fan of Ronnie Attard's style of play, but he just didn't impress the organization enough to get that chance. On a thinner blue line in Edmonton, one injury could give him the chance to shine with one of the best offense groups in the NHL.
As for who was traded in exchange for Attard, Ben Gleason has played four NHL games, all with the Dallas Stars, after signing with them as an undrafted free agent from the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. He likely will not crack the Philadelphia Flyers roster, but is a good depth option if there are significant injuries. He will be a fan-favourite in the AHL if that is what his role ends up being.
We will see if they can both bloom in their new environments, especially Ronnie Attard, who has been given the opportunity of a lifetime.
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