Offseason Checklist: Philadelphia Flyers

Drysdale has the longer tenure with Philadelphia, having been acquired back in early 2024 as part of the return for Cutter Gauthier, who made it clear he had no intention of signing with the Flyers.  While his first impression wasn’t great, he has turned things around since then.  Specifically, he was largely healthy this season, something that hasn’t been the case too frequently over his six-year career.  Drysdale chipped in with 32 points while logging 21:33 per game, a career-high in ATOI.  Is that enough for the Flyers to commit long-term?  If so, AFP Analytics’ projection is a six-year pact worth a little under $7.3MM per season.  He’s shown that he can be a legitimate top-four defender and this contract would certainly pay him like one.

As for Zegras, the change of scenery last summer worked probably better than the Flyers would have hoped for.  He didn’t just rebound after a rough 2024-25 year; instead, he put up a career year offensively, one that saw him produce 26 goals and 41 assists in 81 games to finish one point behind Travis Konecny for the team lead.  That flipped in the playoffs with Zegras leading the way, one point ahead of Konecny.  While playing down the middle didn’t exactly work, the 25-year-old made things work on the wing and now it looks like he has a chance to be a fixture for a while.  AFP Analytics pegs a five-year deal surpassing the $8MM mark in AAV which would be a multi-million-dollar jump from his expiring contract.

The challenge here is if the Flyers aren’t ready to commit these types of pricey deals or the two sides are too far apart.  Both Drysdale and Zegras are two years away from UFA eligibility.  If talks don’t go well and Philadelphia files for arbitration, both players could (and likely would) elect two-year awards to take them to the open market, giving them a bigger hammer in negotiations.  So, Briere’s options might be a one-year second bridge contract or the long-term pact.  They have a lot to work through over the next couple of weeks with these two.

Search For An Impactful Offensive Center

Last offseason, Briere certainly attempted to address the center position.  He brought Zegras in, who was a natural middleman but again, that didn’t go so well in Philadelphia.  Meanwhile, he brought Christian Dvorak over in free agency, signing him to a one-year deal that looked like an overpayment at the time.  He wound up having a career year himself, picking up 51 points while signing a new five-year deal that was only slightly cheaper than the $5.4MM he made this season.  Both moves worked out rather well for the Flyers.

However, the need for an impactful offensive middleman still remains.  Zegras might be a top-liner for them long-term but it will probably be on the wing.  Dvorak did about as well as expected in a top-line role but that’s not the best fit for him in the long run.  After being a third-liner for most of his career, he’s probably not going to be the offensive anchor either.  Meanwhile, Noah Cates is more of a secondary producer while Sean Couturier’s best days are behind him at this stage of his career.

The Flyers have amassed a decent prospect pool of centers as well.  Jett Luchanko has already had a couple of brief NHL looks while Jack Nesbitt and Cole Knuble have some upside as well.  But, again, none of them really profile as legitimate number one options either.

As has been well-documented, there isn’t exactly a surplus of established high-end centers out there on the trade market while there aren’t any in unrestricted free agency.  But we saw the impact of raising the ceiling at that position last summer, even with Zegras landing on the wing.  Doing that again will be easier said than done but it would certainly give them a significant boost heading into next season.

Find Power Play Help

32nd, 30th, 32nd, 32nd, and 32nd.  This is where the Flyers ranked in terms of power play percentage over the last five seasons.  Cumulatively over that span, you can probably guess where they rank as well.  This isn’t just a short-term sort spot but rather a long-term problem.  Over that time, most of the roster has turned over but it hasn’t gotten any better.

On the back end, none of their blueliners are necessarily prototypical quarterbacks with the man advantage.  Drysdale, Cameron York, and Travis Sanheim all have some offensive skill but haven’t been able to succeed with any sort of consistency.  Whether it’s shopping at the top end of the free agent market or looking for someone who fits a little lower on the depth chart but could anchor a power play unit, that would certainly help.

Up front, obviously, a top center would move the needle.  Zegras showed some promise with the man advantage this season and they’ll be hoping that Matvei Michkov can take a step forward.  So there’s a bit of cause for optimism for some internal improvement, at least.  But they need to find a way to get more out of players like Owen Tippett (seven power play points) and even Konecny (14).  An extra creative player or a true shooting threat could open up some options.

Making the playoffs in spite of having the worst power play in the NHL is pretty good.  But counting on a repeat with those struggles would be asking a lot.  Accordingly, shaking up the power play personnel to try to give those units a lift could certainly pay some dividends.