The Philadelphia Flyers will do their exit interviews in the next few days, then will head off to various places most likely for a little rest and relaxation before returning to their normal offseason regimens in preparation for training camp. However, for a few others, it will most likely be their farewell from the Flyers as they start the next chapter of their National Hockey League careers elsewhere. We take a look at three Flyers who most likely won’t be with the club when the 2026-27 season commences.
Noah Juulsen
Juulsen was signed to a one-year deal by Flyers general manager Danny Briere last summer alongside Dennis Gilbert. Both had played under head coach Rick Tocchet in previous seasons on different teams. The idea was Tocchet knew what each could bring to the table but eventually, Gilbert didn’t pan out so well and was shipped off to Ottawa. As for Juulsen, he found himself originally as a seventh defenseman. That positioning was bumped up after Egor Zamula self-imploded in training camp and never quite regained his footing. Juulsen’s spot became a bit more concrete after Zamula’s departure. As well, he was vastly different than the younger, more talented Emil Andrae. It gave Tocchet options at the six spot, depending on the opponent or even if in the midst of a back-to-back. A heavy team or opponent would result in Juulsen getting the nod. A faster team often meant Andrae was good to go.
Juulsen played 52 regular season games, scoring once and adding nine assists as a third-pairing blueliner. While he was big, and delivered some heavy hits over the course of the season, the one-year deal served its purpose. Juulsen would be used if there were injuries or those blue-chip prospects in Lehigh Valley (Hunter McDonald, Oliver Bonk) weren’t quite ready to make the jump up. Signed to a one-year deal at just $900,000, Juulsen most likely won’t be resigned for a few reasons. The likes of McDonald and Bonk should be close to being Flyers next season. As well, finding a depth defenseman on a short-term deal isn’t really a huge challenge in the summer. Juulsen served his purpose, but it’s time to move on.
Luke Glendening
It’s still one of Briere’s best moves, making him look like a genius when, at the time, he was just looking for a replacement for Nic Deslauriers. Claimed off waivers on trade deadline day, Glendening wasn’t thought of as anything more than a journeyman. Most believed he would play out the string in Philadelphia who had no shot of a playoff spot. Glendening and Sean Couturier found some synergy in their play, and was one of the small but important pieces that helped fuel Philadelphia’s torrid pace in March and April.
After not scoring in 52 games with the Devils, Glendening scored a pair of goals and had three assists in 18 games for Philadelphia. What was far greater was his work on the fourth line, battling every night and helping Couturier get his bearings in limited minutes. Just as strong was his play for most of the playoffs, which led some to suggest a short-term extension might be in the cards for Glendening and Philadelphia. However, given the spots that should be given to younger prospects like Nikita Grebenkin among others, it seems a long shot that Glendening would be with the Flyers in October. He served his purpose, and was one of the team’s unsung heroes.
Sam Ersson
This one might not be as cut and dry as the cases with Glendening and Juulsen. After all, Ersson will still have his rights retained by Philadelphia as a restricted free agent this summer. His two-year, $2.9 million contract is up. And it might be worth looking into alternative backups to Dan Vladar next season. That’s not to say Ersson didn’t have a few quality starts this season. He was particularly good in a handful of shootouts this year, and was solid in other overtime sessions.
Unfortunately, Ersson appeared in 33 games in 2025-26, 14 fewer than the previous season. And despite having less of a workload, Ersson’s save percentage dropped from a horrid .883 in 2024-25 to .870 in 2025-26. His goals-against average was down slightly (3.14 to 3.12), but overall there were too many times when Ersson couldn’t come up with a save when the Flyers needed one to be made. Vladar’s dominance made Ersson’s role much more of a backup. That position now looks to be in jeopardy somewhat if the Flyers decide to sign another goaltender to be Vladar’s backup next year. Or if they decide to go with with Carson Bjarnason or Aleksei Kolosov (not exactly a great idea in this writer’s opinion), then Ersson might be caught in a numbers game much like he was in 2024-25 with Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov.
It will be an interesting storyline to follow, but it won’t be the hottest topic for Philadelphia. There are holes that need to be filled down the middle, and possibly obtaining a top-line center would put Ersson’s dilemma on the backburner. Regardless, it might be time that Ersson — as much as he’s liked in the locker room — to see if he can jumpstart his career in another city. It’s not that a contract extension would break the bank given how the numbers are the numbers. But would Philadelphia wish to go back to the well one more time with a goaltender who simply can’t make a stop nine times out of ten? It seems very doubtful. At the very least, should the team and player part ways, Ersson earned a victory in his last game with the Flyers, a 4-2 win over Montreal.
