Latest news with #Foerster
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
49ers center earns amazing compliment from his position coach
49ers center earns amazing compliment from his position coach The San Francisco 49ers had a rough season in 2024, finishing with in fourth place in the NFC West with a 6-11 record. Their .353 winning percentage was their worst since 2018 when they went 4-12 (.250), which somehow still wasn't bad enough to land in last in the division. While not much went right for the 49ers last year, they did get some great player up front, especially from center Jake Brendel. The former UCLA Bruin, who originally joined the team back in 2020 but opted out to COVID-19, entered his third season as the starting center and had a great year. Pro Football Focus gave him a 65.0 overall grade, ranking him 23rd out of 64 qualified centers. He also earned a 71.6 run-blocking grade (13th) and a 55.1 pass-blocking grade (51st). However, when it comes to the grades from 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster, Brendel was the best of the best. 'Fewest amount of missed assignments," Foerster said. "His pass protection was the highest grade, his run blocking grade, pass blocking grade, and his mental errors were the best they've been since he's been here. They've been better than any center that we've had playing here up to this point.' Since Kyle Shanahan took over as the team's head coach, the 49ers have had Brendel, Weston Richburg and Alex Mack as their primary starting centers, and in Foerster's mind, this past season was the best yet. According to SIS Data Hub, Brendel had just six blown blocks, which was the fewest of any 49ers offensive lineman in 2024. Foerster took some issue with the center's PFF grade, saying that they're grading without context. "It's interesting how he's rated outside of the 32 centers by whatever the grading system is. But I'm not knocking it, because my point is that everybody looks at something different," Foerster told 49ers writer Jake Hutchinson. "So you can knock what I look at and say, 'Oh, you don't know what you're talking about.' That's fine. I know what we asked him to do on every given play and what his role is, what his job is, so I can grade it." As the 49ers prepare for 2025, Brendel is set to enter his four season as the team's starting center, and if he plays the way he did down the stretch, that should be a strong base for the offense to build on to make it back to the postseason again. More 49ers: 49ers wide receivers coach says rookie has 'it' factor they're looking for
New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Flyers sign Noah Cates to 4-year, $16 million extension
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. Advertisement 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.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flyers Offseason: Grading the Tyson Foerster Contract Extension
Flyers winger Tyson Foerster exploded for six goals in his final five games of the season, crossing the 20-goal threshold for the second time. (Photo: Eric Bolte, Imagn Images) The Philadelphia Flyers signed budding winger Tyson Foerster to a highly anticipated contract extension Thursday afternoon, but the details tell the bigger story. The contract is a temporary solution to a complex situation, but there are benefits, too. Advertisement Foerster, 23, put pen to paper on a two-year, $7.5 million extension ($3.75 million AAV), signing a much shorter contract than what most were expecting. For reference, hockey analytics mavens Evolving-Hockey gave Foerster a 27% chance of signing an eight-year extension, with a predicted annual cap hit of $6.94 million in that instance. A two-year deal for Foerster had the second-highest odds, according to Evolving-Hockey's model, at 23%. They predicted Foerster to pull in a $4.161 million cap hit in this scenario, so the Flyers, by most accounts, got a great deal on their former-first round pick's bridge contract. One underrated aspect of Foerster's new Flyers contract is the fact that he will still be under team control on its expiry; Foerster will still be a restricted free agent in 2027 at 25 years old. Advertisement By getting him on a short-term bridge deal, the Flyers save themselves some cap space for the potential to make a bigger move in the next two seasons and don't lose any leverage when the time comes to negotiate another contract. Tyson Foerster's 2024-25 player card, courtesy of Evolving-Hockey. And that time could be as soon as July 1, 2026, when Foerster will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Flyers. It's not dissimilar to what Cam York just went through with the Flyers as a pending RFA himself. Additionally, Foerster's new deal does not come with any form of trade protection, meaning that, now through the end of the contract, the Flyers control the 23-year-old's fate. Advertisement This could become especially prudent if a season passes and the two sides are unable to come to an agreement on a longer-term contract, or if Foerster struggles massively and is no longer deemed a fit for the future of the Flyers. The 6-foot-2 winger's UFA year, according to PuckPedia, is 2029, so the Flyers could have pushed for more team control, but 2027 will have to suffice. It's an amicable solution for two sides who clearly wanted to get a deal done, and so Foerster will remain with the Flyers. Grade: B+ This piece of business by the Flyers was as close to perfect as can be. Personally, a longer-term deal would have been preferable, especially considering that having some extra years of team control was, apparently, a factor of some kind. Advertisement With Foerster's contract becoming official, the Flyers now have a shade under $23 million to operate with, needing only to re-sign York, Noah Cates, Jakob Pelletier, and fringe players like Olle Lycksell and Helge Grans. Last year, the contracts given out to Travis Konecny, Ivan Fedotov, and Owen Tippett raised some eyebrows, but the Foerster contract is a clear win for a Flyers organization that desperately needs one.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flyers Trio Shines as Canada Bests Sweden at Worlds
(Header/feature image courtesy of The Hockey News' Megan DeRuchie) Three members of the Philadelphia Flyers made a notable impact in Canada's 5–3 victory over Sweden at the IIHF World Championship on Tuesday. Travis Konecny recorded three assists in the win, continuing his strong play with consistent offensive production. The 28-year-old forward has been a key presence for Canada throughout the tournament, bringing his trademark energy and playmaking ability to the international stage. Defenseman Travis Sanheim also found the scoresheet, registering a goal after just 18 seconds into the game's first period. Sanheim's mobility and instincts were on full display, contributing both defensively and in transition. 18 SECONDS IN! 🚨APRÈS SEULEMENT 18 SECONDES! 🚨#MensWorlds | # — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 20, 2025 Tyson Foerster added a goal of his own, continuing to show what he's made of amongst some of the world's best. The 23-year-old winger continues to build confidence in his first appearance at the senior international level, giving Flyers fans reason for optimism heading into next season. Foerster goes hard to the net! 🚨Foerster fonce au filet et marque! 🚨#MensWorlds | # — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 20, 2025 The trio's contributions were instrumental in securing the win for Canada, who sit top of their group after this victory. And, for the Flyers, the tournament continues to provide an encouraging glimpse into the skill, endurance, and versatility of key players on their NHL roster.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Flyers, Tyson Foerster Are Affected by Matt Coronato Contract
Matt Coronato's blockbuster new contract extension with the Calgary Flames has made Tyson Foerster that much more expensive for the Philadelphia Flyers to keep. Coronato, 22, signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million AAV) with the Flames Saturday, tying him down in Calgary through the 2031-32 season on the heels of a breakout 24-goal, 47-point campaign. This was also Coronato's first full season in the NHL; last year, the Greenlawn, N.Y., native scored three goals and nine points in only 34 NHL games. Coronato's contract, does, however, set the stage for the Flyers and Foerster, as the latter is a restricted free agent and due for a new contract on July 1. Foerster, 23, is slightly older than Coronato, but with his 25 goals this season, Foerster has reached the 20-goal threshold in each of his first two full seasons in the NHL with room for plenty more. Even despite Foerster's modest point-producing exploits (43 points in Year 2 vs. Coronato's 47 in Year 1), his elite defensive play and contributions on the power play and penalty kill make him equally valuable to the Flyers, if not more than Coronato is to the Flames. Among the 13 forward lines in the NHL that played 500 or more minutes together, Foerster's line of himself, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink allowed the fewest expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.17), per MoneyPuck. Even better is that Foerster's line was dominant at both ends of the ice, controlling 58.3% of the expected goals. This ranked second among the 13 aforementioned lines, trailing Toronto's line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner (58.4%) by 0.01%. While the Flyers' offensive production was modest (28.8 expected goals for, ninth out of 13), they still created roughly the same as New Jersey did with Ondrej Palat, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt (26.7 expected goals for) in 49 more minutes together. For the sake of comparison, Evolving-Hockey last offseason predicted Winnipeg Jets forward Gabe Vilardi's next contract to be worth $21.94 million over four years ($5.485 million AAV), and Vilardi at the time was heading into the last year of a two-year bridge contract at a $3.437 million cap hit with a career-high 41 points. After exploding for a career-high 27 goals and 61 points this season, Vilardi has made himself much more money after taking a bridge deal in 2023. Last summer, Evolving-Hockey projected Foerster would receive a two-year extension worth $5.952 million ($2.976 million AAV), which is certainly out of the window now after the season he had. If the Flyers want to preserve flexibility and opt to sign Foerster long-term now, they are very likely looking at something between Vilardi's old projection--roughly $5 million--and Coronato's new deal at $6.5 million. Foerster might not have the same offensive ceiling as Coronato does, but his size, versatility, and two-way play are things the Flyers cannot readily replace. Plus, one must figure that Foerster's goal-scoring will drastically improve with a competent power play. The Flyers' power play converted 15.6% of their opportunities this season, 12.2% of their opportunities last season, and 15% of their opportunities in 2022-23. The league average power play was 21.64% this season, 20.98% last season, and 21.31% in 2022-23. That's a lot of goals Foerster and the Flyers are missing, but fortunately for the Flyers, it may help them save a heap of money on Foerster's next contract in the end. Coronato has help set the bar, and it's now up to Foerster, his camp, and the Flyers to work towards an amicable middle ground for the future.
