As Flyers’ offseason additions keep flourishing, will contract talks accelerate?
The 2025-26 campaign has been a solid one for the Philadelphia Flyers so far. They sit one point out of a playoff spot and have played just 27 games, tied for the fewest in the Eastern Conference. The offseason moves have paid off thus far for GM Daniel Briere.
Trevor Zegras was the big offseason acquisition, brought in from the Anaheim Ducks for Ryan Poehling and two draft picks. With 26 points in 27 games (first on the Flyers), Zegras has landed on his feet in Philadelphia after back-to-back tough seasons in Orange County.
The Flyers have three significant RFAs this summer: Zegras along with forward Bobby Brink and defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
I can’t say whether the Flyers have been talking (though I wouldn’t be surprised) with Zegras’ camp, but nothing much has changed since the last time I reported on it more than a month ago. I still believe the Flyers will start around a $7-million AAV, similar to that of Dylan Cozens’ seven-year deal he signed with the Buffalo Sabres almost three years ago. Zegras continues to be playing both as a winger and center (particularly after the Flyers finish a penalty kill) in a hybrid role this season.
Speculatively speaking, I have a hunch this deal (if and when it is signed) will come with an AAV in the range of $8.5-9 million. I wonder if the Zegras camp will use Travis Konecny’s $8.75-million AAV as a point of demarcation; could his camp want Zegras to be the team’s highest-paid forward?
Drysdale, who was acquired from the Ducks for goal scoring phenom Cutter Gauthier almost two years ago, is an interesting case, as he has hit his stride this season – but not in the way many expected. Once thought to be a dynamic, power play quarterback in the making, Drysdale has turned into a steady defensive presence at 5-on-5 with limited special teams usage. Currently not on either of the Flyers’ power play units and not a penalty killer, Drysdale has registered all 11 of his points this season at even strength.
Speaking with a team source, Drysdale’s next contract could look similar to that of the one they signed with Cam York (five years, $5.15-million AAV) last summer. There is a possibility that Drysdale’s AAV could creep up into the mid $5 millions with the rising cap, but his limited special teams usage compared to York’s is something the team is taking into consideration. Overall, Drysdale averages almost two minutes fewer per game (21:38) than York.
As for Brink, the Flyers will likely be looking for a three- to four-year term for the 2019 second-round pick. While I don’t think the Flyers are in any hurry to move Brink and like him as a player, there is an internal belief that (as I mentioned before) they will need some movement among their wingers to integrate their prospects.
Denver Barkey, in particular, could be an in-house replacement for Brink should they move the latter at any point. Given his production, Brink would likely be in line for an AAV in the $3.5-million to 4-million range on a mid-term contract. If the Flyers want to do some cost cutting in their middle six and clear out space for younger bodies, perhaps Barkey could overtake Brink’s position on an entry-level contract.
Among pending UFAs, center Christian Dvorak is the most significant and has impressed the Flyers’ brass this season. Skating on a “top” line alongside Zegras and Travis Konecny, Dvorak has 17 points in 27 games, on track for his best offensive point total in a season for his entire career.
Speaking to a Flyers source, while they have not engaged in contract talks to this point, there is an appetite to potentially extend Dvorak should the former Montreal Canadiens forward continue to gel with the group – specifically Zegras. The closest comparable is the contract Pius Suter signed with the St. Louis Blues (two years, $8.25 million) last summer. According to the source, a two-year contract around a similar AAV as to what Dvorak already has is something that could make sense for the team.
Dvorak, 29, signed a one year contract with the Flyers last July worth $5.4 million.
_____