The Philadelphia Flyers, with a 32-23-12 record and 76 points in the standings, are sitting six points back of a playoff spot. According to Money Puck, they have a 5.8 percent chance of making the postseason at this point. The season isn't over, but it's sure shaping up that way. So what better time to start looking towards the summer.
The Flyers have a whopping 26 players in their system who will be free agents this summer; 15 of them are restricted free agents (RFAs) and the remainder are unrestricted free agents (UFAs). Many of these players are in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (think Hunter McDonald and Anthony Richard) or depth players on the big club (such as Noah Juulsen and Carl Grundstrom). Many of them will walk in the summer, and for the majority of those that do remain--RFAs and UFAs alike--new contracts shouldn't be much of an issue.
There are, however, half a dozen players, all RFAs, whose next contracts are critical to the long-term health of the franchise and, hopefully, returning to Stanley Cup contention. The big two are Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, but we're also going to include Nikita Grebenkin, Emil Andrae, Aleksei Kolosov, Sam Ersson, and newcomer David Jiricek in the conversation because all have significant NHL experience. Danny Briere's decisions with those five players could speak to a larger organizational philosophy, and the Flyers' general manager is going to have his work cut out for him this summer.
The Big Dogs
Without a doubt, the Zegras and Drysdale extensions are going to be the most critical contract negotiations for Briere and the Flyers this summer. Zegras is second on the Flyers in scoring, with 22 goals, 32 assists, and 54 points, and Drysdale second in scoring among defensemen with seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points. Both players have become integral parts of the lineup, and should be here a long time.
The questions then are: for how long and for how much money? The salary cap is set to jump significantly again this summer and balloon in the coming years, so Drysdale and Zegras will absolutely be getting raises from their respective $2.3-million AAV and $5.75-million AAV bridge deals that were originally signed with the Anaheim Ducks.
Last summer, the Flyers signed Cam York to a five-year, $5.15-million AAV contract, so that's probably a starting point for Drysdale, who's rounded out his defensive play and is now seeing an uptick in his offense, ostensibly having a higher ceiling than York. Depending on the term, Drysdale might end up on a contract similar to Travis Sanheim's $6.25-million AAV deal, though with cap increases on the horizon that would be incredibly team friendly.
For Zegras, the cap hit will probably be considerably higher. A good comp from last summer may be Gabe Vilardi of the Winnipeg Jets: in his contract year, Vilardi posted 27 goals and 61 points in 71 games; Zegras is at 22 goals and 54 points with 15 games to go in the season--he should finish with similar production. Both players have had injury troubles in the past, and both are listed as centers who mostly play on the wing. Vilardi's in year one of a six-year, $7.5-million AAV contract with no trade protections. With cap increases, it wouldn't be shocking to see Zegras flirt with an $8-million AAV contract extension, though term and trade protections would change things a bit.
The Secondary Players
The other RFAs of note (Ersson, Grebenkin, Andrae, Kolosov, and Jiricek) shouldn't break the bank in dollars or term, if they're signed to a contract with the Flyers at all, that is.
Ersson and Andrae seem to have fallen out of favor with the organization: Ersson because he's not played well, and Andrae because a small, left-shot defenseman doesn't seem to fit their plans when they've already got York and Drysdale in top-four roles. This summer could spell the end of these two players' time with the organization, whether through trades or the Flyers not giving them a qualifying offer.
Grebenkin, meanwhile, has proven to be a useful NHL player. He can fit a grind-y, physical fourth-line role, and has enough skill to play up the lineup when he's got his legs. A bridge deal seems appropriate. Jiricek, too, likely gets a bridge deal, because he hasn't proven anything to the organization to this point that warrants a longer term contract, and his lack of waiver protection next season means the Flyers need to see what they've got in the young defenseman--early returns are good, though.
The most interesting player in this exercise is Kolosov. He had a rough start to his tenure with the Flyers, forcing his way onto the main club in 2024-25 instead of spending the season with the Phantoms, and his career NHL stats (5-11-1 record, .863 SV%) have been underwhelming. At 24 years old, he's still relatively young for a goaltender, and he's got a .903 SV% with the Phantoms this season. Kolosov still doesn't seem ready to back up Dan Vladar next season, but the Flyers do have Carson Bjarnason already in Lehigh Valley and Yegor Zavragin on the way in the next year or two. That all but leaves Kolosov in a weird spot on the depth chart. He probably gets a bridge deal (the Phantoms still need a goalie, after all), but his long-term place in the organization still feels like a question.
Danny Briere has a lot on his plate this offseason, from trying to land a top-line center to solidifying the backup goaltending position. But securing the contracts for some of the team's future top players should be first on the to-do list. Drysdale and Zegras, in particular, have earned a place on this team for a long time.