Flyers sign Noah Cates to 4-year, $16 million extension

New York Times

4 days ago

Noah Cates, who surged in the second half of the season to become the Philadelphia Flyers' most consistent center, signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension ($4 million AAV) on Tuesday, the club announced.
The contract does not have any no-trade protection, per a team source. Cates, 26, was a pending restricted free agent who posted 16 goals and 37 points in 78 games this season. A fifth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017, Cates has played 235 games over four seasons with the team, scoring 40 goals and 102 points.
BREAKING: We have signed forward @cates_noah to a four-year contract extension worth an annual average value (AAV) of $4 million. #LetsGoFlyers
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 3, 2025
Cates was a healthy scratch for four of the first five games of the 2024-25 season as the club gave rookie Jett Luchanko a look. Luchanko was eventually reassigned back to his junior club, though, and Cates began to show dramatic signs of improvement beginning in late November. After Thanksgiving, Cates was the Flyers' fourth-leading scorer, posting 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) over the final 59 games.
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Cates' line with Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink, meanwhile, became a central component to the lineup on a nightly basis, too. According to MoneyPuck, among the 33 lines in the NHL that spent at least 300 minutes together at five-on-five, the Cates-Foerster-Brink line was fourth in expected goals share at 58.3 percent. Foerster, who was also a pending restricted free agent, signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension last week.
'Parts of our games really complemented each other,' Cates said of his line. 'Bobby's got such an elite offensive mind, and Tyson's got a big frame, and his shot and his stick defensively. A lot of factors went into helping each other out, and playing hard for each other was the biggest thing.'
Cates was leaned on late in the year from a leadership standpoint, too, something captain Sean Couturier spoke about after the season.
'He's been involved in some leadership group meetings and is embracing that role,' Couturier said. 'He's more of a quiet guy, but the way he leads by example and gets himself ready for games, practices … he can rub off on some younger guys the way he goes about his business.'
That's an aspect of the game Cates would like to embrace, he said in March, particularly after the trade of alternate captain Scott Laughton to Toronto at the deadline.
'You've got to look at everything as an opportunity,' Cates said. 'Younger guy, but I'm getting older. Step up and be a leader, bring that energy. … Try to build myself up to be that leader and a guy that how (others) looked at (Laughton) — just like an older veteran guy, calming presence in the years to come. Great guy to learn from. I've got to take a little bit of what he had.'
The Flyers likely view Cates as a third-line center as they attempt to improve that position. As it stands, Couturier and Ryan Poehling are the only other players on the roster with significant experience playing that position at the NHL level.
The Flyers have two remaining pending restricted free agents who finished the season with the NHL club: defenseman Cam York and forward Jakob Pelletier.