With the deadline for qualifying offers passing, Philadelphia has sent an offer to two players. Both were expected to be retained by the Flyers and will look for new contracts.
Those players are Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula. Both players have arbitration rights, so they could go to a third-party arbitrator to determine a fair contract if they are unable to negotiate one. They could also simply accept the offers given to them and go from there. The two have until 5:00 p.m. on July 15 to accept.
Flyers send qualifying offers to Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula
Brink's qualifying offer would be $874,125, significantly lower than his current deal. He has a cap hit of 925K, though his actual salary is over 1M with signing bonuses. Brink is certainly expected to look for more money. It's hard to imagine, though, that he could get much of a raise from his current deal. Brink may end up looking at staying over 1M on a new deal.
It was an up-and-down season for Brink in his first full year in the NHL. He posted 11 goals and 23 points in 57 games but was often a healthy scratch. He spent some time in the AHL, where he did gain his confidence back. Brink had seven goals and 13 points in 13 games with the Phantoms. Unfortunately, it didn't translate offensively when he returned. He had just five points in his final 19 games with the Flyers.
Zamula's offer is higher than his current salary. The Russian defenseman was signed to a one-year deal worth 775K. His qualifying offer is $813,750. So there is a chance Zamula could take the offer and be content. But you never know.
Zamula played in the most games in a single season in his NHL career, appearing in 66 games. He scored his first NHL goal, finishing with five goals and 21 points. Zamula was a healthy scratch as times as the team continued to look for more consistency out of him. They also dealt with a fair amount of rotation on the back end through injuries and trades. But this was his longest stretch in the league, providing hope that he can be a regular on the back end of the Flyers.
Two players did not receive a qualifying offer. Those were Mason Millman and Will Zmolek. Both players have yet to make their debuts at the NHL level. Millman was drafted in the fourth round back in 2019, signing his entry-level deal in 2020. The first year slid due to the lack of games he played in the 2020-21 season. He has spent the majority of his time in the ECHL with the Reading Royals.
Millman reached 100 points for his career in professional hockey and became Reading's all-time leading defenseman in points. He past Nick Luukko, standing at 96 career points with the Royals. He has earned various call-ups to the AHL, playing a career-high 15 games this season. It wasn't his best numbers statistically, though that had to do with playing with the Phantoms. Millman had seven goals and 26 points for Reading while posting four assists with Lehigh Valley.
Zmolek signed a one-year contract with the Flyers at the end of his collegiate career in 2023. He debuted with the Phantoms, appearing in three games. Similar to Millman, Zmolek has spent the majority of his professional career in Reading. This season he appeared in 50 games for the Royals, posting four goals and 11 assists. Zmolek did play six games for the Phantoms, registering two assists.
Carter Hart also did not receive an offer amid his involvement in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case.