Egor Zamula’s days on Flyers roster could be numbered

In October 2022, the Flyers signed Travis Sanheim to a long-term contract. The Blues\' Torey Krug ensured Sanheim remained a Flyer two summers ago by nixing a trade. And he\'s been the best defender the last few seasons, eating up minutes when not contributing offensively. Nick Seeler was signed to a four-year contract days before the 2024 trade deadline. Jamie Drysdale, who will be a Restricted Free Agent at the end of this season and in need of a new deal, appears to be more of a part of the future at 23 years of age. So that adds up to three defensemen, half of the regular defense corps on the ice or bench at any one time.

But Danny Briere added a few more pieces while securing another piece since July 1. Last week the Flyers signed former Canucks defenseman Noah Juulsen and former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert on team-friendly one-year contracts. Added to that was news earlier this week the Flyers signed Cam York to a five-year deal worth $25.75 million ($5.15 million AAV). So with Gilbert, Juulsen, York, Sanheim, Drysdale and Seeler, that adds up to six defensemen. So, with six blueliners signed as of now, where does that put Egor Zamula into the mix? Is he going to be fighting tooth and nail in training camp for a spot in the top three pairings? Will he be battling to hold on to being a seventh defenseman? Or is it possible he sees himself on the way out, particularly given the situation with Rasmus Ristolainen as well as a crop of younger blueliners that look closer to making the big club than not.

Last season Zamula played 63 games, down three from 2023-24 but still in the mix of Flyers defensemen. His average time on ice was up slightly (16:03 to 16:31 in 2024-25). And he scored three goals to go with 12 assists for 15 points. So while he wasn\'t great, he seemed to find himself far more in the lineup than Erik Johnson, the veteran blueline presence the Flyers signed last summer on the cheap who ended up back with Colorado at the deadline. However, with the signings of Gilbert and Juulsen (who are both 28), Zamula should see himself with a bit longer odds of playing the same number of games this coming season (barring injuries).

Speaking of injuries, the surgeries Rasmus Ristolainen had the past two seasons is a cause for concern, especially when he was playing so strong and might have been an attractive trade piece at the deadline. That would\'ve removed the remaining two years of his contract ($5.1 million AAV) while also opening up another spot for a defenseman. However, depending on the extent of his injury, Ristolainen could end up on Injured Reserve or Long Term Injured Reserve to start the regular season. If he\'s out for the rest of the year, or the recover or rehabilitation isn\'t going according to schedule, then Ristolainen will join Ryan Ellis for a while, possibly for the rest of his contract. In Zamula\'s world, that injury problem for Ristolainen could be the only thing keeping Zamula from almost certainly being on the outside looking in.

If Ristolainen is somehow healthy and ready to go a few months into the season, that would see eight defensemen in the mix for at best seven spots. Yes, you need a lot of defensemen during a regular season as not every defender will dress for all 82 games. And sometimes Philadelphia has gone 11/7, adding a defensemen at the expense of four full forward lines. Yet it seems with the additions of Gilbert and Juulsen, both who have some injury issues the last few years, it could be a case of Zamula having a diminished role with the Flyers.

In terms of underlying metrics, neither Juulsen nor Gilbert are running laps around Zamula with their offensive prowess. Zamula actually comes out ahead in a few of the statistics. Here\'s just a sample of some of the numbers from this past season.

CF% GF% xGF% HDGF% Noah Juulsen 43.76 36.11 43.29 33.33 Dennis Gilbert 45.82 45.16 43.26 44.44 Egor Zamula 50.09 43.53 54.04 37.78

Zamula actually leads some of the categories, but Juulsen and Gilbert appear to be heavier, harder defenders to play against than Zamula has been in recent years. Zamula will never be mistaken for Radko Gudas, a player who will hit to hurt you while knocking you off the puck (and off your skates). And Rick Tocchet wouldn\'t be keen to see Juulsen and Gilbert added to the roster if they didn\'t meet certain traits both he and Briere appear to like: big, strong defensemen who can knock opponents on their backside. While both Gilbert and Juulsen didn\'t play full seasons, they weren\'t 28-year-old players signed to be in the press box for the entire year. These signings aren\'t in the realm of a Johnson signing or even a Marc Staal signing, knowing the player was older and a steadying presence on the back end.

Zamula, who signed a two-year contract last summer at a value of $3.4 million ($1.7 million AAV), will remain a restricted free agent at the end of this 2025-26 season. He may also see his role reduced even more by the fact Emil Andrae has had his moments with Philadelphia, is also a RFA and is 23 years old. Oliver Bonk could be making a case for the big club during training camp and is only 20 years old. Then there is Hunter McDonald and Helge Grans, both also 23 years old and, like Zamula, both RFAs after this coming year. So there are players in the pipeline. If one of them impress at camp and making the Flyers, you could see Zamula in the press box more often than he\'s used to.

One of the things that Briere has remained consistent about is not letting older players impede the development or progress of younger prospects. Just like Zamula found his way into the lineup by outplaying Erik Johnson in 2024-25, Zamula might find himself on the outside should even one of Bonk, Grans, McDonald or Andrae take a big step forward and make a case to stick with Philadelphia. Given that Zamula has rarely taken over a game either through his physicality (or lack thereof) or driving up ice in the vein of Sanheim or Drysdale, it\'s becoming a harder sell to see why he could be a regular part of the 2025-26 Flyers. Especially considering the goal being for Philadelphia to take steps towards being a playoff team.

It\'s difficult to say a 25-year-old defenseman has reached his plateau and has no room to grow. Yet Zamula might be, in the eyes of the Flyers\' front office, to be more of a player who younger prospects could jump over in the depth chart, not a player who could usurp other players on that same depth chart. In short, Zamula could be looking behind him a lot more this season than at any point in his career. And could see those 60-plus games he\'s played in each of the last two years to be a thing of the past. Rasmus Ristolainen\'s injury problems could be the lifeline Zamula currently has regarding playing time with Philadelphia. To say the least, Zamula\'s situation is probably the murkiest it\'s been since signing with Philadelphia in 2019. Not many undrafted NHL players get this far, but it\'s safe to say Zamula might not be on solid ground moving forward.

Talking Points