The Flyers placed both centre Jim Dowd and defenceman Rory Fitzpatrick on NHL waivers Thursday. "At the end of the day, we felt it would give us more roster flexibility if they both clear," Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Inquirer from the World Junior Tournament in the Czech Republic. "It will allow us to do more things with our team, maybe even bring up a defenceman."