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Jori Lehtera: Headed overseas
Per Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Lehtera will play for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL in 2019-20.
Lehtera appeared in 27 games with the Flyers in 2017-18, notching a meager three points over that span. The veteran forward will almost certainly spend the rest of his professional playing career overseas. If that ends up being the case, he'll finish his time in the NHL having racked up 111 points in 307 appearances split between the Blues and Flyers.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Receives suspended sentence
Lehtera was given a four-month suspended sentence and won't face any jail time for his involvement in a criminal case in his native Finland, Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
While Lehtera is currently in the minors with AHL Lehigh Valley, he could still face a suspension from the NHL. For now, the winger figures to keep logging time in the AHL, but could get called up once there is more clarity on the situation from the league.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Designated for waivers
Lehtera was placed on waivers by the Flyers on Wednesday.
Lehtera -- who has been mired in an ongoing criminal investigation in his native Finland -- will be reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley if he goes unclaimed, which seems highly likely considering his $4.7 million cap hit. The 31-year-old could find his way back to Philadelphia at some point this season, but most likely won't be back with the team next season and may have to continue his professional career overseas.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Remains out of lineup
Lehtera played just three games in January and has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of February.
The Flyers are on an eight-game winning streak. Lehtera actually played in the first three games of the streak, but with him out of the lineup now and the Flyers playing their best hockey of the season, Lehtera isn't likely to start again soon. Lehtera has one goal and three points with 17 shots on net in 27 games this season.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Returns to lineup Monday
Lehtera -- who had been held out of the lineup while facing charges in Finland -- logged 6:51 of ice time against Minnesota on Monday.
Obviously the team has decided to start playing Lehtera again, though considering how limited his minutes were Monday, fantasy owners probably shouldn't be expecting him to take on a significant role. The center figures to slot into a fourth-line role when in the lineup, but could spend plenty of time in the press box as a healthy scratch as well.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Will contest charges
While Lehtera has been charged in connection to a cocaine ring in his native Finland, he maintains that he's done nothing wrong and vows to clear his name, Dave Isaac of NHL.com reports.
Lehtera continues to miss games as he tends to this legal matter. He last played Dec. 15, skating for 8:35 of ice time in a 5-1 road loss to the Canucks. The NHL reportedly has no interest in delving into the matter at this time, though deputy commissioner Bill Daly added, "We intend to continue to monitor the proceedings." It appears that the league will observe the situation from afar.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Charged with crime
Lehtera was officially charged in connection with a drug distribution case in Finland, Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lehtera has sat out the last six games and will likely continue to watch from the press box until the case, which began Monday, is resolved one way or another.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Officially scratched
Lehtera will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against the Predators.
Lehtera is scheduled to stand trial Dec. 31 for his indirect involvement in a cocaine ring back in his native Finland, so this decision by coach Scott Gordon doesn't come as a surprise. The veteran forward will likely continue to be scratched from the lineup until his legal situation is sorted out.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Present for morning skate
Lehtera (coach's decision) was on the ice at Thursday's morning skate, albeit as an extra skater, Dave Isaac of the Courier Post reports.
Lehtera is set to stand trial Dec. 31 for his indirect involvement in a cocaine ring back in his native Finland. He's obviously still with the team, but the Flyers called up Philip Varone from AHL Lehigh Valley on Thursday, and the latter appears to be on track to draw the start on the fourth line --- rather than Lehtera -- for the evening's home clash against the Predators.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Allegedly prosecuted in drug-ring situation
Lehtera will be prosecuted for his involvement in a cocaine ring in his native Finland, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, citing lastwordonhockey.com.
Lehtera, who is not the main suspect in the case, reportedly has denied any wrongdoing in the matter, which first gained media attention in late September. Carchidi adds that the Flyers forward will be subjected to a trial that will commence Dec. 31, but the NHL has refrained from issuing further comment on the situation and it remains to be seen if he'll miss any games.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Going through rough patch
Lehtera has no points and a minus-5 rating in his last six games dating back to Nov. 10.
With those kinds of numbers, it's no surprise the 30-year-old has been in and out of the lineup. He played again Saturday versus the Sabres, but once more posted a goose egg on the scoreboard and recorded a minus-2 rating. Don't be surprised if Lehtera sits again soon.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Sits on Friday
Lehtera was a healthy scratch Friday against the Rangers.
The 30-year-old returned to the lineup Wednesday after being a healthy scratch for a couple games, but Lehtera was back in the press box Friday. He only has one goal and three points with a minus-2 rating in 19 games this season. Even in larger leagues that include blocks and hits as categories, Lehtera can be safely left on the waiver wire.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Expected to suit up Monday
Lehtera (hand) will draw into the lineup in Monday's game against Arizona, Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lehtera's left hand was bandaged after Saturday's game against the Sharks, but fortunately it appears he didn't sustain anything too serious. The Finnish center has just 10 points in 76 games over the last two seasons with the Flyers.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Suffers hand injury
Lehtera was spotted with his left hand bandaged after leaving Saturday's game versus the Sharks, Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Lehtera played just 3:31 before leaving the game. It's still unclear how severe his injury is, but updates will likely develop before Monday's game versus the Coyotes.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Leaves Saturday's game with injury
Lehtera exited Saturday's matchup with the Sharks early due to an undisclosed injury.
Look for more info on Lehtera's status to surface before Philadelphia's next game Monday in Arizona. The bottom-six pivot has a modest two points this season and played only 2:11 before leaving this contest.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Breaks through
Lehtera scored his first goal of 2018-19 against the Islanders on Oct. 27, but he still only has a goal and an assist in 12 games.
Even worse, he has just 12 shots on goal in 12 contests, clearly indicating there's no end in sight to this scoring slump. Of course, owners probably shouldn't have expected much in the scoring department from Lehtera anyway. He had three goals and eight points in 62 games this season. Lehtera is only useful in leagues with faceoffs (he owns a 59.6 percent in the dot) as a category, and even then, he's a one-trick pony.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Struggling to score
Lehtera has just one point in nine games this season. He has cooled off in the PIM category as well over the last week.
He's never been a prolific scorer, but owners were willing to remain patient on that front early this season because Lehtera recorded 10 PIM in the first five games. However, eight of those PIM came in one contest, and he hasn't spent any time in the sin bin in the last four games. The only category Lehtera is contributing to at the moment is faceoffs. He has won 59.3 percent of his draws, which, if continued, would be a career high.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Leading Flyers in PIM
Lehtera doesn't have a point but has recorded a team-high 10 PIM through five games this season.
The veteran is no stranger to slow starts. Last season, he had one assist in the first 12 games and only three points (all assists) through 40 contests. The good news is he's been valuable in the PIM category, but that likely won't continue. In four NHL seasons, Lehtera has averaged more than 0.55 PIM per game just once, and last season, he had just 14 PIM in 62 contests. Despite the probable drop in PIM, Lehtera's likely rise in scoring at some point makes him a quality depth forward to have on the bench in deeper leagues.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Returns to practice
Lehtera, who's allegedly tied to a cocaine ring that had surfaced in his native Finland, returned to practice Friday, Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post reports.
Both Flyers GM Ron Hextall and Lehtera himself refuse to comment on the situation. The fifth-year center, who missed Wednesday's practice, reportedly worked on the fourth line with Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl in the latest session. With one preseason game on the docket for Philadelphia, Lehtera must prove that he belongs at the top level. After all, he mustered only three goals and five assists through 62 games last season.
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Flyers' Jori Lehtera: Away from team amid investigation
Lehtera -- who has denied involvement in a cocaine ring in his native Finland -- missed practice Wednesday and was unavailable to the media, John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
While Lehtera denied any wrongdoing, it's an unfortunate distraction for all parties involved. The Flyers issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon: "We have spoken with Jori Lehtera and the league office regarding the reports out of Finland and will reserve any further comment on the matter at this time." As suggested in this latest report, the most logical move for the Flyers would be to waive Lehtera and leave him in the minors with AHL Lehigh Valley.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-2, 212 lbs |
| Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland |
| Age: 37 |
| Shoots: Left |