Over the past few seasons, the Flyers have been fairly light when it comes to players who could depart as free agents. Most have either been players who had been with the organization a while and were waiting for the first big deal (Cam York) or older vets whose time had come and gone (Cal Peterson).
The team has done a good job trying to keep their younger players in-house. However, this upcoming season could determine a lot in where this team is heading. After all, the team is loaded with younger, rising players. There are also some veteran players that the team will have to make decisions on.
As of November 2025, the Flyers will have 13 potential free agents on their roster. Six of these players are unrestricted free agents. That leaves seven RFAs. This is also not counting any of the players currently at the AHL level. Let's examine the unrestricted free agents first, and then we'll dive into the other two categories.
Potential Unrestricted Free Agents
The six UFAs are as follows: Christian Dvorak, Nicolas Deslauriers, Rodrigo Abols, Noah Juulsen, Carl Grundstrom, and Adam Ginning. Most of these are older vets.
Of all these players, Dvorak seems to be the most likely to return on an extension. He's kind of a plug-and-play guy. He can play center and wing. He's playing well in the faceoff circle and has scored a few times. He seems to be building chemistry with his linemates. It's reasonable to expect the Flyers to re-sign him to a two-year deal.
The next guy most likely to be re-signed is Abols. While he has yet to score, he has won a staggering 71% of his faceoffs. He's not a great player, but he is pretty much what you want for a fourth-line center. Plus, he'd come cheap.
As for the others, it's most likely that their time is over in Philly. Deslauriers is an older vet who will probably be traded this season. Juulsen hasn't shown the team much this season. Grundstrom, acquired in the Ryan Ellis trade, is buried in the AHL, and Ginning has never had much of a chance outside of a spot start here and there due to injury.
The RFA's
This is where Briere will be busiest: locking up younger players long term. Most of these guys should be re-signed or traded at the deadline for either a "missing piece" player or top of the line prospect/picks if the Flyers feel that they no longer git into the plans. These players are: Trevor Zegras, Bobby Brink, Sam Ersson, Nikita Grebenkin, Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula, and Emil Andrae. That list of players is a major core of players.
Let's start with the forwards. Zegras, far and above, is the priority. He has come out of the gates hot and is performing well above expectations to start the season. Granted, it is a short sample size, but if it continues, he should be re-signed. He seems to like it here, and he's clicking with his teammates. This should be a no-brainer.
Also, a no-brainer is re-signing Brink. In 14 games, he's scored five goals. His career high is 12. He's also becoming a major contributor on the power play. He's becoming the player the Flyers hoped he'd become. This, much like Zegras, is an easy one.
Grebenkin, most likely, will be re-upped as well. He's got some flaws in his game, but he plays with a lot of enthusiasm. He is someone that Rick Tocchet can take under his wing and mentor, and help grow.
Then you got the defenders. Drysdale is the easiest one to consider. Much like York, he was expected to contribute to the offensive-transition game. Much like Zegras, he needed to get out of Anaheim to flourish. His biggest drawback is his injury history, which is considerable. However, if he can show he can stay healthy, he'll probably be extended this season, as he is playing well.
Next up is Zamula and Andrae. These are hard to judge. Both show flashes of being able to be full-time guys, and then show their youth and inconsistencies. Andrae probably has a leg up on Zamula. One or both could be re-signed. It's equally possible that one or both could be traded away, as there are some prospects waiting to take their spot (Oliver Bonk) or players who could be acquired who could better fit the team. Stay tuned here.
Then there is Ersson. Do the Flyers roll with him and give him an extension? Do they cut ties with him and try out Aleksei Kolosov instead? So far, Ersson hasn't done much to secure his role as a joint starter/backup. He could be well on his way out. If he can turn it around and play like we've seen before, he could be here a little longer.
The AHL Prospects
Those are the guys currently on the roster who could become free agents. After that, you have a bunch of guys playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms whose contracts will be up. They include: Karsen Dowart, Massimo Rizzo, Jacob Gaucher, Tucker Robertson, Alexis Gendron, Hunter McDonald, Christian Kyrou, Artem Guryev, Ethan Samson, and Kolsov as RFAs. The UFA list includes: Grundstrom, Dennis Gilbert, Oscar Eklind, Anthony Richard, and Lane Peterson.
A lot of what happens here is dependent on how the Phantoms do this year. Most of these players are younger, so look for them to be extended. As for the vets who were signed as epth pieces, it really depends on how much the Flyers value them. They could return, or they could find themselves back on the market.
The big names here to watch are Kolsov and Kyrou. For Kolosov, it will come down to whether or not the Flyers decide to roll with him or Ersson as Dan Vladar's backup. Kyrou is a recent acquisition after the Flyers traded with Dallas for Samu Tuomaala. So far, the early returns on him have been encouraging, with Kyrou scoring one goal with four assists in three games. If he keeps this up, look for him to be promoted sometime this season.