Few franchises have surprised critics like the Philadelphia Flyers, who have battled to maintain a playoff spot into the final two weeks of the regular season. That’s saying a lot, and it also shows that it’s never completely correct to assume a team is ever in rebuilding mode, no matter how bleak things can look.
This isn’t to say the Flyers won’t start rebuilding or even technically aren’t already in a rebuild, so perhaps it’s more accurate to say it’s never completely correct to assume rebuilding or soon-to-be rebuilding teams won’t contend. The Flyers proved that point this season, and maybe they will do the same starting in what should be an exciting offseason.
They won’t have a ton of players to re-sign come the summer of 2024, and there are a few others they can trade at some point, meaning their overall cap space for the offseason may exceed the meager $4.270 million that is currently reflected in Spotrac.
Flyers have little cap space for the 2024 offseason, but that can always change
Just because a team doesn’t have much in the way of cap space at the moment, a few monumental moves can change that. They will be retaining one contract next season (Kevin Hayes), and they also have one more year to pay off the rest of Tony DeAngelo’s contract, which was part of a buyout.
Those two factors won’t help Philadelphia’s overall cap space, so look for general manager Daniel Briere to rely on player movement to help push that $4.270 million north to something a little more respectable. Even then, it’s unwise to think Briere will use that money to acquire more outside talent.
With so many pending restricted and unrestricted free agents coming up in 2025, there is a good chance he opts to retain current talent once they are eligible for a contract extension. Once Briere identifies and re-signs the right players, he will set this organization up for a long-term window to contend.