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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the Flyers might have to consider trading the No. 6 pick in the NHL Draft
The state of the Philadelphia Flyers' rebuild after two years under general manager Daniel Briere essentially can be summed up like this: They are not a team that has lost games on purpose (other than maybe the final game of this past season in Buffalo, when they started the leaky Aleksei Kolosov in net for the first time in four months), they have no plans to tank in the future — on the contrary, they plan on trying to win again next season — and, of course, they are still short on elite-level talent. Advertisement At some point, perhaps even sooner than later, Briere is going to have to part with a premium asset or two and take a chance on a player that he views as a future cornerstone. And for another few weeks, one of those assets at his disposal is the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Now, of course, dealing that pick for anything other than a long-term solution at center, a true No. 1 defenseman or a legitimate scoring winger/leader whose game would translate in the playoffs would make little sense. The Flyers still need more depth in their system, particularly at center — and as it turns out, there are plenty of potential top-six centers high on this year's draft board. Unless Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes or Mason McTavish is available — or someone else of that status who has yet who has yet to appear in any trade rumors — it's still much more likely that the Flyers will end up using the pick, especially if they believe they can add more depth at center to join 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko. But they've also already bought themselves a Plan B if they do end up trading that pick, in the form of two later first-round picks from Colorado and Edmonton and four more picks in the top half of the second round. They will have an opportunity to find some hidden gems in those slots, either by packaging some of them together to move up or simply using them all and hoping to hit on a few of them. Notably, Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said last week: 'I think the second round actually has some depth to it.' So there will be other chances there for the Flyers to grab some good players if they do move the No. 6 selection, if you believe Flahr's appraisal. Briere, when speaking with the media after the season, acknowledged that the Flyers could look into offer-sheeting a restricted free agent this summer. There's a danger in that, too — if they do go that route for a true, high-end player, and that offer sheet isn't matched, it would mean surrendering their 2026 first-round pick — and with it, a chance at Gavin McKenna, who could be the league's next superstar. Advertisement You only have to look at this year's draft lottery to be reminded of the danger of trading a first-round pick, as the New York Islanders moved up from No. 10 in the draft to No. 1. And as much as Briere has spoken about wanting the Flyers to be better next season, unless he can meaningfully fix the goaltending and the power play, finishing in the bottom third of the league again is entirely plausible. In other words, if they're going to deal their first-round pick for a true impact player, they may be better off doing it this year rather than next. It seems evident to me, at least based on what I've heard and seen online, that Flyers management believes the team is much closer to competing for a playoff spot than the majority of the fan base and even many in the media who cover the league. Which is understandable. The Flyers finished with the fourth-worst record in the NHL and are still technically rebuilding, and teams in their position don't typically end up trading their highest pick in the draft. But again, the Flyers aren't approaching this rebuild the same way as some teams that finished below them — the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, in particular. Briere has said he believes the 2024-25 Flyers were better than their record, while president of hockey operations Keith Jones recently said in a radio interview that the days of trading away useful players in the middle of the season, as they've done for the past two seasons, are probably over. That pivot was obviously sold to new coach Rick Tocchet, because you don't hire a guy like that if you expect the rebuild to last several more seasons. That's not something the 61-year-old Tocchet would likely be interested in, either. Many pieces of what Briere and Jones hope will be a perennial playoff team are already in place. Matvei Michkov is here, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are locked up long-term, and now Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates are re-signed after the steps they took in 2024-25. It's a decent foundation. But they need more top-end talent, and they're going to have to get creative in order to procure it. That means just about everything — other than that aforementioned group — is likely to be on the table this offseason. Including the No. 6 overall pick.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Philadelphia Flyers re-sign Tyson Foerster to a 2-year, $7.5 million contract
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Tyson Foerster to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million. General manager Daniel Briere announced the extension Thursday. Foerster will count $3.75 million annually against the salary cap in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 NHL seasons. Foerster, 23, set career highs with 25 goals, 18 assists and 43 points this past season. He was set to be a restricted free agent July 1 and will be again after this deal expires. The Flyers' first-round pick in the 2020 draft at No. 23 overall, Foerster has 83 points in 166 career games in the league, all with Philadelphia. This spring, he represented Canada at the world hockey championships.
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Flyers re-sign Tyson Foerster to a 2-year, $7.5 million contract
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Tyson Foerster to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million. General manager Daniel Briere announced the extension Thursday. Foerster will count $3.75 million annually against the salary cap in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 NHL seasons. Foerster, 23, set career highs with 25 goals, 18 assists and 43 points this past season. He was set to be a restricted free agent July 1 and will be again after this deal expires.
Associated Press
29-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Flyers re-sign Tyson Foerster to a 2-year, $7.5 million contract
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Tyson Foerster to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million. General manager Daniel Briere announced the extension Thursday. Foerster will count $3.75 million annually against the salary cap in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 NHL seasons. Foerster, 23, set career highs with 25 goals, 18 assists and 43 points this past season. He was set to be a restricted free agent July 1 and will be again after this deal expires. The Flyers' first-round pick in the 2020 draft at No. 23 overall, Foerster has 83 points in 166 career games in the league, all with Philadelphia. This spring, he represented Canada at the world hockey championships. ___ AP NHL:
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Flyers 2025-26 depth chart 1.0: Will any rookies make the opening-night roster?
It's been just over two years since Daniel Briere became the Philadelphia Flyers' full-time general manager and the rebuild officially began. That means the fruits of the unpleasant labor over the past two seasons, in which Briere has subtracted from the NHL team much more than he has added, in the name of rebuilding the system, should finally start to appear. Advertisement It's going to be gradual, though. A glance at the depth chart shows that there's no guarantee the Flyers will begin the 2025-26 season with any rookies on their roster. But, there will inevitably be at least a few NHL debuts at some point, particularly now that most of their 2022 and 2023 draft classes, the latter of which was Briere's first, are turning pro. So before the offseason gets going — and with it, the possibility of a blockbuster deal that Briere will have to execute at some point, maybe even sooner than later — let's review just what the Flyers have, position-by-position. We'll revisit the roster closer to training camp in September, likely after some changes. The Flyers' weakest position when we did this one year ago only got worse once the team traded Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton mid-season. Depending on how you view Sean Couturier, there's an argument that this group lacks both a No. 1 and a No. 2. It isn't all bad, though. Noah Cates' dramatic improvement after Thanksgiving likely puts him in line for a multi-year contract extension that could cement his role as the No. 3 center, either next season or in the future. Ryan Poehling was also one of the few bright spots down the stretch, finishing with a career-high 31 points in 68 games, a fine total for a fourth-liner. Even Couturier, whose pace of play is still a concern sometimes, seemed to get a boost after John Tortorella's firing (probably not a coincidence, considering those two did not see eye-to-eye). As far as depth goes, the Flyers recently re-signed Rodrigo Abols to a one-year extension after he played in 22 games this season, and Karsen Dorwart came in as a college free agent. But those two don't move the needle a whole lot at this point. The real wild card here is Jett Luchanko, the 2024 first-round pick who may or may not be NHL-ready. Advertisement The primary reason Luchanko made the Flyers this season as a rookie was because Tortorella valued his skating, coupled with concerns at the time about Cates' development and Couturier's diminishing foot speed. But with Rick Tocchet now in place and better play coming from the other two, perhaps the Flyers opt to be extra patient with the 18-year-old (yes, he's still just 18), and assign him back to his junior club for one more year. If Briere can bring in another center this offseason, there may not be any room for Luchanko, anyway, and, if that hypothetical add is a true top-six center, suddenly the Flyers' depth here doesn't look so awful. This is the Flyers' strongest and deepest position. Travis Konecny's eight-year extension kicks in next season, while Matvei Michkov, despite not being a finalist for the Calder Trophy, exceeded expectations during his rookie campaign and will only get better. Something to keep an eye on is whether Tocchet keeps the two of them on the same line with Konecny on the left, like how interim Brad Shaw deployed them with some measure of success late in the year. Bobby Brink took a big step forward with a 41-point season, firmly establishing himself as a top-nine contributor, while Garnet Hathaway still fulfilled his role as a physical depth guy/penalty-killer. All four are pretty much assured spots on the opening-night roster. As far as the depth players go, Zayde Wisdom stands above the rest here. He'll be someone to watch during training camp after he remarkably went from three points in 49 games with the Phantoms in 2023-24 to 13 goals and 32 points in 69 games this season and developed into one of their most complete players. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Wisdom has surpassed other prospects, including Samu Tuomaala, a 2021 second-round pick who has stalled. Devin Kaplan signed in April and played in the season finale, but his college career at Boston University was underwhelming. Barring some sort of blockbuster deal, the top two here are set with Owen Tippett signed for seven more seasons and Tyson Foerster on the cusp of cementing himself as a long-term piece. But it gets interesting after that. There is an opportunity here for a prospect or two to snag a job. Briere has already said Jakob Pelletier will at least be a restricted free agent, signaling their desire to keep him. He finished the season strong, particularly after the coaching change. Nicolas Deslauriers is signed for one more season and still fills a role on a developing team, but neither his nor Pelletier's position in the opening-night lineup is set in stone. Advertisement The Flyers already view Alex Bump as a prospect who could be ready for the NHL right away, while Nikita Grebenkin played seven games with the Maple Leafs this season before Philadelphia picked him up in March. Denver Barkey probably needs some AHL seasoning, but he's coming off another strong year with the OHL's London Knights. The possibility is there for one or two of them to leapfrog the more established guys. Travis Sanheim is the anchor here, of course, as the Flyers' top defenseman. He also impressed in international competition this season as part of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and the recent World Championships. Drysdale took some noticeable steps forward after January, and as long as he stays healthy, he could finally be on a steady path forward. Rasmus Ristolainen's status for the start of the season is now in doubt after the Flyers revealed he had triceps surgery in March. That could open the door for another big, right-handed shot to make the opening-night roster, with Grans in the driver's seat. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman had a good showing in six games in November, and he seems to be a player the Flyers like. The other guy to keep an eye on will be Oliver Bonk, who had a good but not eye-popping junior season with the London Knights. He didn't have a stellar training camp last year, either — Tortorella pointedly said at the time he 'plays too slow' — so it will be interesting to see in September how much he's improved. There's a fair amount of uncertainty with this group. Cam York should be in line for a healthy bridge deal, but contract negotiations broke off early last season. If the Flyers end up making a deal for a top-six center, they might consider parting with York in a trade. Seeler's spot is safe, as he's viewed as a leader on and off the ice, and he also has a no-trade clause through next season. He might even replace Scott Laughton as an alternate captain. But after that, there should be a decent competition to fill out the lineup. Egor Zamula had an uneven season, in and out of the lineup, as he never really took the next step. Andrae was fantastic in the early part of the season, but after getting reassigned in December and recalled in March, he didn't quite look the same down the stretch. Hunter McDonald is a prospect to keep an eye on here. He probably needs a bit more time in the AHL, but he steadily progressed throughout the Phantoms' season. If Ristolainen misses more time than expected, and the 6-foot-4 McDonald has a big summer, perhaps he gets a look with his combination of physicality and nastiness. We've buried the Flyers' goaltending enough in this space over the past little while, so let's start with something positive. Samuel Ersson continued to impress in international play at the World Championships, posting a 4-0-0 record, 1.16 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and two shutouts to help Sweden capture the bronze medal. He was also in net for the bronze medal game against Denmark. There's growing evidence that Ersson can thrive in pressure-packed situations, including his 32-save win over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Advertisement The problem, as everyone knows by now, is that he's still the Flyers' only NHL-caliber option. Neither Ivan Fedotov nor Aleksei Kolosov should start the season on the opening-night roster, while Carson Bjarnason, a second-round pick in 2023, will need at least a year or two with the Phantoms to get his professional feet wet. Perhaps the easiest prediction for this offseason is that Briere will bring in at least one more goalie who already has significant NHL experience, either via trade or free agency. (Photo of Jett Luchanko: Derek Cain / Getty Images)
