The Philadelphia Flyers spent this offseason retaining their key players on long-term contracts, while making some minor adjustments to their goaltending and defense. That didn't stop the Flyers from trying to make a blockbuster move this offseason. Of course, we're talking about their five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson. General manager Danny Briere, trying to improve the team's odds of winning a Stanley Cup in the near future, was willing to give up four future first round picks to bring in Carlsson if the Ducks failed to match the offer. The Ducks ultimately matched the offer.
This offseason, it doesn't appear like the Flyers will make another attempt at a splash addition. That's not entirely a bad move, as there aren't many top players available to put the Flyers over the edge. There is always next summer, where the free agency class is expected to be much better than this summer's. There is one impending free agent who may interest the Flyers, and it sounds like he could very well hit the open market.
During a recent episode of The Sheet podcast, Jeff Marek discussed the Ottawa Senators' contract discussions with forward Drake Batherson, who is set to hit free agency next summer. Marek says that he's heard that Batherson is seeking a contract similar to what Alex Tuch got from the Washington Capitals, and is unsure if Senators president of hockey operations Steve Staios would want to pay him that much.
Drake Batherson seems like a player destined for free agency in 2027
"It seems as if Tuch wanted the [Adrian] Kempe deal. Batherson now wants the Tuch deal, which is the Kempe deal, and that deal next year as the salary cap goes up, probably goes up by a million dollars," said Marek. "So the [$10.5 million] is now [$11.5 million]. I don't know if Steve Staios had that number in mind. It might have been a single digit, but here we are."
Even before this past season started, it was evident that Tuch would be the top free agent in this summer's class, given the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov all signed contract extensions with their respective teams. But given his age and lack of production in the second round of the playoffs this year, Tuch would have been an overpay regardless. The Capitals decided to trade for Tuch before the start of free agency, and signed him to an eight-year, $84 million contract extension.
As for Kempe, he was one of the other players set to hit free agency this summer before opting to re-up with his current team. Kempe and the Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on an eight-year, $85 million contract.
Given that the salary cap is increasing at a pretty high rate by the year, the asking prices for players are going to increase. Based on Marek's comments, Batherson is looking to cash in on a similar deal that Tuch and Kempe got possibly on a deal that is a bit more expensive. While Batherson has expressed an openness to re-signing with the Senators, would the team give him the contract he's seeking?
Drake Batherson would be an ideal free agency addition for Flyers in 2027
This offseason, the Flyers were looking to add a center, hence signing Carlsson to the since-failed offer sheet. With Carlsson off the board and Dylan Larkin not looking like an option for the Flyers, they may have to search for one next offseason instead. Luckily for the Flyers, Batherson does have experience playing at center, despite primarily playing on the wing.
While Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle were the focal points in Ottawa, Batherson has been a solidly consistent player. In each of the past four seasons, Batherson put up 62-points or more in each. As hockey fans know, it's hard to find that kind of consistency, especially for a forward in the top six.
This past season for Ottawa, Batherson scored a career high 33 goals and recorded 38 assists in 79 games played.
This upcoming season will be an interesting one for Batherson. Tkachuk is no longer on the team, as he demanded and received a trade to the Florida Panthers to team up with his older brother Matthew. The team did add William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks. Taking this into consideration, is Batherson due for a boost in production? If so, his asking price will surely increase.
The good thing for the Flyers is that they will have the cap space to go on a spending spree next summer. PuckPedia projects that Philadelphia will have over $27 million in cap space to work with, so that should give them the space to make a significant free agent signing.
Look, if the Flyers playoff run proved anything, it's that they can stand to add more scoring help in the top six. Just look at how poorly they played on the power play. Getting a player as consistent as Batherson would be a huge plus for Philadelphia. Not to mention, Batherson thrives on the power play, so thats something for Flyers fans to keep in mind.
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