Matt Read is headed back to Minnesota, and he should have an opportunity to break back into the NHL full-time.
Read on Monday afternoon signed a one-year, two-way contract ($650,000/$200,000) with the Minnesota Wild.
The 32-year-old spent seven seasons in the Flyers' organization and was a longtime regular in the lineup until two seasons ago, when he was relegated to a fourth-line, extra role.
Last season, the Flyers buried Read in the AHL, mainly for cap purposes. Read carried a $3.625 million cap hit on his previous contract - a four-year, $14.5 million deal signed on Sept. 23, 2013 - and he didn't earn a spot in training camp.
The Flyers did recall Read twice last season from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In October, Read came up and played in four games because of a Wayne Simmonds injury. Then after the trade deadline, he came back up and stayed through the end.
In all, Read scored just one goal in 19 regular-season games in 2017-18. He added an empty-net goal in Game 5 of the Flyers' first-round series loss to the Penguins.
After two 20-plus goal seasons early in his career, Read's production decreased each year since the 2013-14 season. He was once a staple on the team's penalty kill with Sean Couturier.
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But Read lost his scoring touch and made too much coin to match his effectiveness. He often became the butt of Flyers fans' jokes.
Read was never a topflight player but ultimately, he was a serviceable role player in his time here.
Now, he heads back to Minnesota, where he played college hockey - Bemidji State University.
