What is the state of the Flyers’ rebuild?

The Philadelphia Flyers underwent a major facelift in 2023, overhauling their front office.

Introducing Dan Hilferty as Comcast Spectator CEO, Keith Jones as the team’s president of hockey operations, and Daniel Briere as the new GM, the Flyers ushered in a “new era of orange.”

The Flyers have not undergone a full “rebuild” under Briere and Jones, even though the duo has not been afraid to use the word in the media. The Flyers have gone more in the direction of a “retool on the fly” under the new regime, holding on to younger assets and players that preceded the regime change. 

Once thought to have gone the way of the dodo, full rebuilds have resurfaced recently as a formidable option for reigniting franchises in turmoil. Due to the early successes of the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks during the 2025-26 campaign, it has left many questioning the path the Flyers have taken since the new regime took the reins of the front office more than 18 months ago. 

There is a valid debate to suggest that the Flyers should’ve leaned more into the rebuild – but every situation is different. Though the prior regime did not vocalize it, the Flyers had already been hedging on a rebuild under former GM Chuck Fletcher. Having moved on from prior core roster players and already accumulated talented pieces like Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, and Cam York, Briere and Jones would’ve had to punt on developing an already impressive group of young players to embrace a full-scale rebuild.

While in conversation with Columbus Blue Jackets director of hockey operations Rick Nash a few months back for an article, he told me that he had wished he had gotten playoff experience earlier in his career, believing it would’ve helped him in the long run. In the case of the Flyers, they would’ve had to forego this in order to tank for a theoretical “top” draft pick that many pundits have clamored for recently.

The Flyers have taken a step this season, sitting in a playoff position as of Monday night. But there are holes in their lineup (specifically at center) that some have taken issue with as long-term concerns for the team. While these concerns are certainly valid, there is reason to believe the Flyers will address them before the team is ready to take the next step toward becoming an authentic contender. 

Speaking with a team source, the Flyers acknowledge that they are not a finished product. The Flyers know they still have holes and believe that potentially half of their lineup is not on the team. The Flyers are very high on prospect forwards Denver Barkey and Alex Bump, in particular, and feel like pieces may need to be moved around to accommodate them, eventually making the club. 

Objectively speaking, the Flyers do lack a top-line center in their current lineup. If Trevor Zegras is to be more of a “hybrid” forward between center and wing, the team will need a long-term option to play alongside him. It will depend on how you view prospect centers Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt, but the Flyers feel like they have enough talent on the wing to compensate for their lack of depth down the middle in the long term.

While I can see the vision for the Flyers’ offense working with in-house talent in the long term, I don’t see the same path on the back end. Speaking with a team source, I was told the team believes they need help on defense. Ideally, the team would like to add a stud No. 1 defenseman, but it is admittedly tough to do with so many teams retaining their own players recently with the rising cap. 

My thought has gone to the Buffalo Sabres, who have several left-shot defensemen who fill the same role. The Flyers lack organizational depth at that position, which makes it plausible they would look to the Sabres as potential trade partners. 

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is obviously a dream scenario for the Flyers, but there is no indication that the Sabres are prepared to move off of the 2018 first overall pick. That leaves Bowen Byram and Owen Power, both of whom have been subject to trade speculation recently. 

For the record, I don’t believe that the Flyers are overly high on either player. 

Byram, 24, is signed until 2027 at a little more than $6 million per season. While the Flyers do have interest in the former Colorado Avalanche defender from a stylistic perspective, there are reservations as to whether or not he can emerge as a true top-pair option. But I have heard that they prefer him over Power, to this point. 

Power, who just turned 22, is signed until 2031 at an AAV of $8.35 million. He has not excelled with the Sabres, and has left a lot to be desired with his on-ice play given his size, according to several league sources. The Flyers do think the talent is there to excel, but have reservations about the contract to this point, given the player’s production. 

There is an internal desire to add, but they aren’t going to settle for just any piece. The team has an abundance of valuable wing players, and that talent could yield currency to acquire the pieces to fill holes elsewhere in their lineup. The Flyers know what they need to acquire to take the next step in their rebuild; it is not about identifying the right players to make a hard run at and avoid panic moves.

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