After the Philadelohad Flyers decided to not qualify Kieffer Bellows, what's next for former New York Islanders forward?

The Philadelphia Flyers qualified five of their eight restricted free agents on Wednesday. Former New York Islanders prospect Kieffer Bellows was not one of them.

It was a tough season for Bellows, who came into training camp highly motivated after not only a strong finish to his 2021-22 campaign but also the owner of a one-year, $1.2 million prove-it deal. 

After showing well in camp, Bellows found himself in the starting lineup on opening night against the Florida Panthers. After playing just 7:19 minutes in the 3-1 loss, he never played another minute for New York. 

Bellows practiced hard but watched the next five games, while Nikita Soshnikov and Ross Johnston got playing time over him. It became clear that the former 19th overall pick in 2016 had fallen to the bottom of the totem pole. 

“I am confident that I can play. I just gotta be given… let out there, and once I do that, then I think good things will come," Bellows told our Stefen Rosner on Oct. 25. 

The next day, the Islanders placed Bellows on waivers, and two days later, he was a member of the Flyers.

“Having a meeting with Lou, telling me he is going to put me on waivers was…it was surprising," Bellows said when the Flyers visited UBS Arena a month later. 

"But I know Lou. He has to make the best decisions for his team. He has to do what's right for his team in the long run, and I respect that completely."

Bellows continued: "I only have high praise for Lou and that organization over there, but going through that process near the end, Philadelphia picked me up, and from then on, I've just been working hard, just trying to build my game up, and I'm feeling really good right now."

Unfortunately for Bellows, his time in Philadelphia was rather rocky. He played in just 27 games, with just three goals in an average of 9:47 minutes per game. 

Bellows was placed on waivers twice by Philadelphia, passing through unclaimed. In 12 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Bellows recorded three goals and seven assists. 

After a season with three goals in 28 games and three waiver appearances, Bellows will become an unrestricted free agent on Jul. 1.