A way-too-early look at the Flyers' vital 2026 offseason

New York Times

a day ago

Those in charge of running the Philadelphia Flyers have been telegraphing it for some time: The 2026 offseason will be of utmost importance for an organization that, they hope and believe, will be fully on the upswing again. At the very least, qualifying for the playoffs in 2026-27 will be the objective.
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General manager Daniel Briere hasn't done anything that should dissuade anyone of that notion — not even this summer, when he added a potential high-end piece in Trevor Zegras and players such as center Christian Dvorak and goalie Dan Vladar, who he hopes will fill what were some very significant holes.
Improving the team for the 2025-26 season was important. Keeping options open for the summer of 2026 was even more crucial.
Now that the dust has (probably) settled on the current offseason, what might it mean for a year from now, when the Flyers will presumably be attempting to make some major headlines?
Let's examine, from a few different angles.
The Flyers are still carrying a significant amount of dead cap money this season. Kevin Hayes ($3.57 million), Cam Atkinson ($1.76 million) and Scott Laughton ($1.5 million) are all still affecting the salary cap in 2025-26.
But next year, all of that is off the books. According to CapWages, the Flyers currently have more than $40 million in salary cap space for 2026-27.
To be clear, that only includes 14 players, one of which is the functionally retired Ryan Ellis, who will have just one year left at $6.25 million. Assuming the Flyers re-sign some of their many pending restricted free agents (we'll get to that), there obviously won't be as much room as there looks to be right now.
At the same time, some of those 14 players might not be on the team in a year, either. Rasmus Ristolainen and his $5.1 million cap hit could conceivably be moved at some point, provided he's able to regain his form after triceps surgery in March.
Either way, the bottom line is that the Flyers probably will have more offseason flexibility than they've had since the cap was instituted in 2005-06.
The list is long and distinguished. There are a number of flat-out superstars who — at least right now — are pending unrestricted free agents in 2026. Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Karill Kaprizov and Kyle Connor headline a deep pool of players who would give a significant boost to any team.
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From a Flyers standpoint, it's probable they're still going to be on the lookout for a true No. 1 center. You can be sure that if McDavid, for example, doesn't sign an extension with the Edmonton Oilers by July 1, the Flyers will be one of probably a couple dozen teams that would pursue him. Hey, maybe they left an impression on McDavid when they allowed him to jump on their charter to Philadelphia from Boston after the 4 Nations Face-Off final.
Eichel apparently loves Las Vegas, so it's unlikely he will net the open market. But, nothing has been signed yet. Perhaps Eichel, a Boston-area native, might desire a return to the East Coast?
Kaprizov and Connor aren't centers, but that doesn't mean the Flyers wouldn't be interested, considering they don't have anyone on their roster who can finish like these two.
The Flyers have integrated a number of Russian players into their lineup lately, including, of course, Matvei Michkov. Perhaps that might entice someone such as Kaprizov — who looked like a Hart Trophy candidate before he got hurt last season — if he goes to market.
Connor, a left wing, could be the most likely of these players to hit free agency, as Winnipeg sometimes has trouble retaining players. The Michigan native has been one of the league's top goal-scorers in recent years, with 153 in his last four seasons combined.
If any of these four players ends up hitting free agency, it would frankly be more surprising if the Flyers weren't interested than if they were.
If the past few NHL offseasons have taught us anything, it's that relying on free agency to procure elite level talent is a risky play. So many of the high-end guys end up staying put, particularly if they're already on top teams (see the Florida Panthers). Further, with a rising salary cap, every team has more money to play with moving forward, so handing out major contracts isn't as restrictive or fraught with danger as it was a few years ago.
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But not every team has the necessary assets to pull off a trade for an elite level player. The Flyers might.
Briere and the Flyers' scouting staff have done an admirable job restocking the system over the past few seasons. They've selected a total of 14 players in the top three rounds in the last three drafts combined.
Some of them will become important pieces in Philadelphia in a few years. But others, of course, could be dangled in trades.
Briere hinted as much in his pre-draft media conference in June. Prospects who have already been selected and are being developed have more value around the league than future picks, in his view.
'They're just numbers,' Briere said of future picks. 'But, eventually there's a name to it. One thing I've realized, when you talk to teams, is that those names become very powerful as you start developing them. The value that teams put on names becomes stronger and stronger.'
It's difficult to predict just who might become available around the NHL over the next calendar year. If Vancouver falters, for example, might Quinn Hughes, who would have one year left on his contract next summer, be open to a change of scenery? It's already known how much respect he has for new Flyers coach Rick Tocchet.
Or what about Brady Tkachuk, who's been in trade speculation from time to time? If the Senators again fail to take another step forward, maybe Tkachuk pushes for a new locale.
Regardless of who it may be, though, the Flyers should be in a decent position to at least be involved in those sorts of trade discussions for players of that caliber.
Just as important as the Flyers' upcoming decisions about which players they should go after via free agency and/or trades, is which players they should keep around.
It's an important season for so many players on the current roster who are expected to have major roles in 2025-26, particularly those on expiring contracts.
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Zegras, Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale, Sam Ersson, Emil Andrae and Egor Zamula are all pending restricted free agents. All of them, to varying degrees, still have something to prove. Briere probably will not rush into anything with any of them before the midway point of the season at the absolute earliest, based on how he's handled pending restricted free agents so far during his tenure. Most of the decisions on potential contract extensions will be made in the offseason, in all likelihood.
In terms of pending unrestricted free agents, the two most notable names are Dvorak and Nic Deslauriers. If Dvorak can take another step in his career under Tocchet — part of the reason he signed with the Flyers — there could be a path for him to remain, depending on how the other centers (including Zegras) perform. An extension for the little-used Deslauriers seems unlikely, although we'll have to wait and see how Tocchet deploys him.
Something else that could end up on the front burner next summer is a potential long-term extension for Michkov. That won't need to be handled right away, as Michkov will still have another season left on his entry-level deal. But it will be an item worth monitoring, nonetheless.
(Photo of Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink: Rebecca Villagracia / Getty Images)
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