Ford is expected to report to Adirondack, the Flyers' AHL affiliate, for tonight's game. Marshall, 21, was a 2007 second-round pick who impressed in 10 games with the Flyers this season after Chris Pronger, Erik Gustafsson and Andreas Lilja went down with injuries. He has posted five points with the Phantoms this season and has played more games (185) than anyone else in Adirondack Phantoms history.
Marshall was reportedly caught off-guard by the move.
It's a strange deal for the Flyers, who are trading a still-developing prospect with a legitimate NHL future for a player who has never really made a big impact. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren was not available for comment last night.
A source close to the situation said Washington inquired about Marshall, who is undoubtedly now on their NHL depth chart, in December and were told by the Flyers he was not available. It is unclear what changed between now and then.
In all likelihood, the Flyers saw a logjam on defense - with Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis clogging up the depth chart in Adirondack and Blake Kessel, Oliver Lauridsen and Brandon Manning playing well - and concluded they needed to make a move. Ford certainly boosts the Phantoms' low-scoring offense.
Only time will tell, as Marshall progresses, what the move means for the Flyers.
Ford is set to be an unrestricted free agent in July.
"I'll miss Hershey," Ford said on his Twitter account (@Frdy11). "At the same time, I'm excited about my new opportunity in Philly's organization."
By the way, multiple sources told the Daily News that Predators general manager David Poile is expected to publicly address Suter's situation in the coming days and announce that he will not be traded before the Feb. 27 deadline.
Suter scored the Predators' only goal last night.
Lilja back
