The Flyers forward group won’t have much change as almost everyone is under contract for the next few years
11 forwards currently make up the Philadelphia Flyers forward core. And that is only the ones that are currently on the NHL roster. It doesn’t include the multitude of young prospects who are looking to breakthrough. The team technically does not need to sign anyone else, unless they unload money the other way.
There isn’t much to work with as the Flyers currently have just over the $2.2K in cap space. That really doesn’t give them many options at all. They could fit one or two entry-level contracts to the team. That would really put them up against the wall. So don’t expect the Flyers to land a big fish unless a team is willing to help them out as well.
So even with rumors of Patrik Laine still floating and Mike Hoffman still available, it’s hard to see the Flyers having the space to go after either. Hoffman is almost a nonexistent shot as he is a free agent. Laine would come via trade, potentially allowing the Flyers to clear some necessary space.
Even so, Laine has a cap hit of $6.75M. The Flyers don’t really need another big contract on their hands. It would likely be just for this season as Laine is certainly looking for a big payday on his next deal. If the Flyers believe acquiring him puts them over the top and into true contenders, they’ll pull the trigger.
Otherwise, they’ll go into the season with largely the same roster as a season ago. Starting with the forwards, there isn’t much room to budge when you take a look at what the team has there.