Flyers’ Offseason Moves 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The ‘Meh’

Rolodex and picking Rick Tocchet. They seem stuck in this Groundhog Day-style obsession, hiring guys with ties to the franchise instead of, you know, someone innovative.

Tocchet’s history isn’t exactly dripping with success, so whether this “good communicator” can rally the team remains to be seen. For now, this hire feels like a shrug at best. Adding assistants Yogi Svejkovsky and Jay Varady feels equally random. Verdict? TBD. Grade: C 

Trades That Got Us Talking

Trevor Zegras: Finally, a reason to smile. The Flyers snagged the 24-year-old forward by offloading…checks notes…Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. Basically, pocket change. Sure, Zegras needs some polishing after two injury-heavy seasons, but this is the sort of gamble you can love.  Grade: A+

Trading Up to the 12th Pick: Moving picks 22 and 31 to snag the 12th overall to draft Jack Nesbitt caught everyone off-guard. Nesbitt screams “our guy,” but did he have to come at that cost? Hope this gamble pays off in spades; otherwise, it’ll age like milk from 1998. Grade: C

Draft Decisions

Porter Martone: Surprisingly, the Flyers didn’t pull an off-the-rails pick at 6th overall and snagged the best guy on the board. Smart move here. Martone should shine in a few years, assuming the Flyers don’t stunt his development. Grade: A. 

Jack Nesbitt: Oh, Jack again. Trading up for him had “confident panic” written all over it. He’s going to need to bust his tail to prove the Flyers were right, especially with their habit of assembling a gallery of “meh” first-rounders over the decades. Good luck, Jack.  Grade: C.

Rest of the Draft: While Flyers fans celebrate a solid second-round haul, the glaring omission of drafting a goalie for two years straight is baffling for a team that desperately needs one. There’s optimism now, but check back in a few years.  Grade: B. 

Free Agency Hits and Misses

Christian Dvorak: A totally fine signing for a position of need. Dvorak, brought in on a one-year deal, is most likely not setting the NHL ablaze anytime soon, but hey, they didn’t overcommit. Grade: C+.

Dan Vladar: Oh, Flyers. Yet again, glaringly failing to solve the goaltending problem. Vladar is at best “mildly better than bad,” so the two-year, $3M+ cap hit deal feels like a wet blanket on any hopes for improvement in the crease. Grade: D. 

Miscellaneous Roster Fillers: Noah Juulsen should keep things afloat on defense for now, plugging gaps left by Ristolainen. Dennis Gilbert and Lane Pederson? Depth guys, probably destined for the AHL. Nothing to write home about here. Grade: C.

Re-Signings That Don’t Hurt

Noah Cates: Signing a third-liner long-term is risky, but a 4×4 deal makes it tolerable. This could work out just fine if Cates delivers consistently. Grade: B. 

Tyson Foerster: A standard bridge contract with a slightly higher-than-expected AAV, but hey, the cap is rising, so no biggie. This was a safe play. Grade: B.

Cam York: Now this was smart money. A five-year, $5.1M AAV contract for a young defenseman who might evolve into something special is a sweet deal. At worst? It’s still a manageable contract. Grade: A.

Overall Grade

2025 gave Flyers fans hope in spurts but left plenty of room for the team to frustrate us later. Sure, Zegras is exciting, the draft wasn’t a complete clown show, and the signings weren’t wildly reckless. But for a franchise that desperately needs to end repeat seasons of mediocrity, running a near-identical roster isn’t exactly inspiring confidence. 

Did Danny Brière do enough? Maybe. But without a solid goalie plan or bolder roster shifts, talk of “progress” might not hold up when the Flyers inevitably start fumbling midseason. Here’s hoping the 2026 offseason finally brings the revolution we’ve been dreaming of. Grade: B.