Flyers Lock Up Ilya Pautov on a Low-Risk Swing

The Flyers are taking a shot on Ilya Pautov, and in this league that usually means somebody in the room thinks there is a little more here than the paper says. The team has signed the prospect to an entry-level deal, a move that fits Philadelphia’s habit of keeping the pipeline moving while the front office sorts out the bigger roster picture. These are the kinds of bets clubs make when they want to add cost-controlled upside without making noise.