Now that the Leo Carlsson offer sheet drama has faded to the background, the Flyers still have some important business to take care of with a few of their own RFAs.
Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale both filed for arbitration recently. It’s a routine practice for players and isn’t a surprise to see for the two players. Their last contract negotiations with the Ducks took them into training camp, so it’s understandable that they’d want to get everything settled before then. It doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong in negotiations with the Flyers either. This gives both sides a deadline to get deals done.
That deadline is fast approaching, though. Thanks to PuckPedia, we have the arbitration dates for each player. And Drysdale and Zegras are two of the first three players scheduled. Drysdale is July 20th, while Zegras is two days later on the 22nd. Which means the Flyers have about a week to get both signed before their hearings.
A deal can happen up until the players and team step into the meeting. It’s been rather unusual lately for organizations to make it to the hearing. Last year, none of the 11 players scheduled for arbitration made it to their hearings. Ideally, you want to get a deal done before then.
An arbitration hearing doesn’t necessarily sour the relationship between player and team. But it does include the organization essentially picking apart the player and detailing why they don’t deserve the money they are asking for. It also only allows for a one or two-year contract, which is chosen by the team when the hearing comes via the player's choice. In this case, Zegras and Drysdale will be RFA's again next season, meaning the Flyers would likely choose the one-year option, potentially going through all of this again next summer.
Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale should earn significant raises
There hasn't been much made public about where negotiations stand with each player. Danny Briere tends to keep things in-house, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. Both players have been very open about wanting to stay with the Flyers. But after seeing some of the recent contracts around the league, it's not impossible that their demands could have changed. Signing a player to an offer sheet typically means you have to overpay a bit to make the other team sweat. It could also mean your unsigned players now see what you were willing to sign someone else to.
We don't know whether that's the case with Zegras or Drysdale; however, we do know their next contracts are expected to be hefty raises from what they're currently making. The Flyers have over $29 million in cap space after the Ducks matched the Carlsson offer sheet. The combined contracts could eat into around $15 million of that, based on what the two are projected to receive. Zegras is coming off a $5.75 million contract, while Drysdale was making $2.3 million.
Zegras posted career-highs in goals (26) and points (67), just missing out on a new high in assists. 10 of his goals and 23 of his points came on the power play, both highs as well. He was third on the team in goals and second in points during the regular season, but led in points during the playoffs. Zegras resurrected his career in Philadelphia and should be a part of the team's core moving forward. It would make sense to lock him in on a long-term contract, somewhere in the $8-$9 million range.
The same goes for Drysdale, whom the Flyers have gotten to know for two and a half years before needing to re-sign. They've been able to see his growth into a dependable top-four defenseman. He has progressed offensively as well, posting nearly identical numbers to his best season with the Ducks back in 2021-22. It would be surprising to see him earn far more than Travis Sanheim, who signed a six-year, $6.25 million extension in 2022. Drysdale should come in around a similar number.
With a deadline in place to get both deals done, Briere is now on the clock to lock in two of his most important RFAs. It would be best for all parties to reach an agreement before next week.
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