The Flyers have one remaining restricted free agent in defenseman Philippe Myers, and it appears that they’re on their way towards getting that deal done. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to an agreement and that a contract could be finalized later this week.
The 23-year-old spent the majority of last season with the Flyers, getting into 50 games where he recorded 16 points (4-12-16) while averaging over 17:06 per game, a number that went up as the season progressed. By the time the postseason hit, he was a fixture in their top four and logged just over 20 minutes a night in 16 playoff games while picking up three goals and an assist.
With the team not changing much on the back end this offseason (Matt Niskanen retired with Erik Gustafsson, a left-shot player, taking his spot on the roster), Myers arguably sits atop Philadelphia’s depth chart among right-shot blueliners. As a result, it certainly seems as if he’s a candidate to take on an even bigger role next season.
The Flyers have some cap flexibility and have nearly $4.8M in cap room, per CapFriendly. While someone in his situation (71 career regular season NHL games) would typically be a safe bet for a bridge contract, they do have some room to try to get a longer-term contract done. With how quickly Myers has moved up their depth chart, that may be the smarter play for GM Chuck Fletcher although such a move wouldn’t be without its risks. Whichever way they wind up going, it at least appears that some good progress is being made on his next contract.
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