The 2025-2026 season for the Philadelphia Flyers has created a very interesting environment for the team and its fan base.
After a surprise run to the second round of the playoffs, the Flyers went from a team in a serious rebuild to fringe contenders overnight, without any major structural changes. Now they're coming up on an offseason where they are unlikely to make serious moves, but will have some lineup changes upcoming.
We'll review the expiring contracts and let you know which players are going and which are more likely to stick around.
Luke Glendening
18 GP: 2 G, 3 A, 5 Points
12:23 TOI
Last in might not be the first out. Luke Glendening was one of the Philadelphia Flyers' trade deadline acquisitions, and he played well in his role on the fourth line. He was a jumpstart to the engine of captain Sean Couturier when the two were paired together late in the season and in the playoffs.
He had more points in his Flyers tenure than in his 50 previous games with the New Jersey Devils, and saw his Corsi stats rise during his Flyers time, with his TOI hitting its highest rate since the 2022-23 season.
There isn't a guarantee it would continue if he were brought back, but for a cheap fourth-line veteran who already said he'd love to be back, it's worth a very low cap hit. His chemistry with Couturier and understanding of his role are valuable beyond his on-ice statistics.
Don't be surprised if he's back.
Jamie Drysdale
78 GP: 8 G, 24, A, 32 Points
21:33 TOI
Drysdale tied his career high in points, set a high for his average time on ice per game, and was probably the Flyers' most consistent defender this season. He turned the proverbial corner and really looked like he figured out the pro game and should be ready to ascend to new high totals over the next few seasons.
He'll be back. The RFA control will help him get a nice pay bump, but with the increase in cap space, the Flyers will certainly pay Drysdale more than fair market value.
Trevor Zegras
81 GP: 26 G, 41 A, 67 Points
18:43 TOI
Just like his best buddy Drysdale, Trevor Zegras set high-water marks in points and goals. He was the Flyers' second-highest scorer, was a very strong play driver, and was one of the few Flyers who was able to do anything on the power play this season.
Zegras was rejuvenated by playing under Rick Tocchet, getting out of Anaheim, and being reunited with Drysdale. He has so much skill that it's easy to see him being even more effective as he goes further in his career.
At 25, he's entering those "prime" years, and he'll be back. The number and term remain to be seen, but he will be back.
Carl Grundstrom
47 GP: 9 G, 4 A, 13 Points
11:51 TOI
Grundstrom started the season hot in the AHL and got the call-up, and played 47 games with the Flyers. At one point, he was the hottest scorer on the team (he scored 7 of his 9 goals in December), but cooled and fell back to Earth, and his typical level of production.
He played with energy and was fine in his bottom-six role, but that was before the emergence of Alex Bump and Porter Martone. That's two spots gone, plus a player like Nikita Grebenkin will likely need a spot. Then here comes Jett Luchenko. Grundstrom might just be squeezed out of the lineup numbers-wise.
Don't expect him to be back, but expect him to sign somewhere else and score on the Flyers somehow.
Philip Tomasino
9 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Point
12:10 TOI
So he technically wasn't a Flyer, but he did excel at the AHL level this year after being brought in from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's also just a case study of a capable player not being in the league.
Tomasino was the return for Yegor Zemula, and put up 41 points in 52 AHL games with the WBS Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and has played 218 NHL games, producing 95 points (34 goals, 61 assists) showing that he can play.
He was not well-liked during his first stop in Nashville by Barry Trotz or Andrew Brunette, despite scoring 71 points in 159 games, and ended up in Pittsburgh. In his first season there, he played 50 games and scored 23 points. So wherever he's played, he's pretty much been a 0.5 point per game player, but can't stick.
As an RFA, nobody will be hunting for his contract, and he won't demand a big number. If the Flyers think he's worth a reclaimation project, then he could find his way onto the team. If the Flyers make any extra moves, then it is possible that Tomasino is the offensive insurance policy that allows them to do so.
Unlikely, but if he makes it through the draft without his rights being traded, his chances will begin to increase.
Garrett Wilson
3 GP: 0 G, 0 A, 0 Points
8:41 TOI
Wilson had his contract elevated at the end of the season by the Flyers, and he played three games, got into a fight, and played his first NHL hockey since 2019.
A popular AHL player and the captain for the last three years, the Flyers did him a solid, but he'll only be back if he wants to be back in the AHL.
Rodrigo Abols
42 GP: 3 G, 7 A, 10 Points
10:30 TOI
If this is the end of the line for Abols, it's still a pretty incredible journey. The Latvian started in the Russian juniors, played in the KHL, then ended up in North America in the WHL and QMJHL, and played well enough to be drafted in the seventh round by the Vancouver Canucks. After that, he played mostly in the Swedish Elite League, with some time in the AHL and ECHL. The Flyers signed him as a farm hand going into the 2024-2025 season, and he played well enough to become a regular NHLer by the end of the year, and started this season as a lineup regular.
He was doing fairly well, producing with a series of interchangeable linemates, and was headed to the Olympics to represent Latvia, until a season-ending ankle injury derailed him.
Now it's entirely possible that Abols struck lightning in a bottle and was a great story reaching its peak and now is ending, or that it could be ongoing. Abols is capable and could be a really good extra forward or a solid option for the fourth line (especially if you end up moving on from Glendening), but Abols might've already had his Flyers swan song.
Nikita Grebenkin
55 GP: 4 G, 10 A, 14 Points
11:17 TOI
Grebenkin fell victim to a season-ending injury, but seemed to be putting together a decent season. He played up and down the lineup, showed that he could be physical, and that he's clearly talented.
Now, they used most of Grebenkin's contract in Toronto, but evident that the Flyers would really like to keep him around and continue to see what they've got in him. Considering everything he did this year was some type of career mark.
He won't get a long-term deal, but he'll get a nice bridge deal.
Samuel Ersson
33 GP: 14-11-5, .870 SV%, 3.12 GAA
The tale of two seasons with Ersson. He had a rough start to the season, but put together a strong close to the year when the Flyers really needed it.
While Dan Vladar took the lion's share of the starts, Ersson struggled with injuries and consistency. With the roles far clearer going into this season, Ersson should be able to find a way to play his best hockey more often than not.
The Flyers don't really have another goalie ready for NHL duty. Rather than force someone into a role they aren't yet suited for, or bring in an outside hire, Ersson is the path of least resistance here and likely the best choice for 2026.
Noah Juulsen
52 GP: 1 G, 9 A, 10 Points
13:49 TOI
While Juulsen was the target of criticism for not being young and a Tocchet holdover from his Vancouver days, he still managed to play decent hockey when he was in the lineup.
His underlying stats weren't the greatest, but he set a career high in points! He doesn't really have a season highlight, but for a defender, a season without a glaring lowlight is pretty good.
Now Juulsen doesn't really need to have a roster space, but should the Flyers find themselves moving on from Emil Andrae, having a veteran who can come out of the press box at a moment's notice might have some value to the team.
He won't be a July 1st move, but is he isn't signed around July 2nd or 3rd, he might just be back.
Emil Andrae
61 GP: 2 G, 11 A, 13 Points
15:20 TOI
Andrae was one of the most talked-about players on the team. He's played some solid defense and set some career highs, but has he done enough to really hold off the more intriguing prospects?
At the end of the day, do you want to see more Andrae instead of Oliver Bonk? Are you more interested in what David Jiricek has to offer?
With Andrae under RFA conditions, his rights could be traded at the draft fairly easily. He could earn a little bridge deal, but if both Bonk and Jiricek have good camps, you might end up having to deal Andrae anyway. A cheap vet might be the play here to back up the young guns.
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