To be consistently in the top-five of these rankings until aging off the ballot means that Tyson Foerster is expected to be one of the key pieces of this new core in Philadelphia. Danny Briere seems to think so, as Foerster signed a 56.8 million dollar contract with the maximum term allowed on the day he was eligible for the extension less than eight weeks ago. It’s a risk for a player who has just two healthy seasons in the league thus far, but the talent is worth betting on, and the best is yet to come.
No. 3: Tyson Foerster
2025-26 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2025-26 Statistics: 29 GP, 13 G, 4 A, 17 PTS
Age as of 9/15/2026: 24
Acquired Via: 2020 NHL Draft — Round 1, Pick 20
How did Foerster’s 2025-26 season go?
It feels weird to say it after culminating in a massive extension, but this season wasn’t what we wanted from Foerster. A pretty standard looking one-timer resulted in severe pain and subsequent surgery, knocking him out for four months and 50 regular season games. With the team pushing for playoffs, Foerster pushed his own recovery along, joining the team in April ahead of schedule.
The disappointment is based on the start to the season he had. Ten goals in the first 25 games before the injury had everyone thinking Foerster was having his breakout season. That’s over a 30-goal pace, and it was compounded with this finish to 2025 in which he scored nine goals in the final nine games of that season. He’d figured something out, and it was put on hold for almost a full year.
TYSON FOERSTER‼️
— NHL (@NHL) November 27, 2025
He gives the @NHLFlyers the lead with just 46 seconds left in the third! pic.twitter.com/js7EbUT03E
Despite returning, Foerster didn’t seem quite right in the playoffs. It’s almost impossible to miss so much time and effectively ramp up for the intensity of the playoffs, and he was no exception there. The great thing about Foerster, though, is how reliable and defensively sound he is when he’s not scoring. The Flyers missed him badly, and they’ll be an even better group with a full season of perhaps the best shooter on the team.
What are we expecting from Foerster this season?
If we’re choosing to believe the healthy version of Foerster was the first 25 games of the season, we could be looking at 30 to 40 goals and great possession stats. A legitimately high-end talent long compared to Mark Stone, Foerster should really put himself on the national radar in 2026-27. This would be the year to do it, as he was healthy enough to play NHL hockey back in April, it would be reasonable to think he’s had a full enough off-season to train– something he hasn’t had in some time now, thanks to an elbow infection suffered with team Canada in 2025.
TYSON FOERSTER IS SO BACK 🔥
— NHL (@NHL) April 8, 2026
He gets two quick goals to extend the @NHLFlyers lead!
📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH pic.twitter.com/8EmWZhrHwG
He’s going to get the ice time to prove it. After all, Rick Tocchet’s good friend, Sidney Crosby, delivered high praise of the Flyer winger. The power play could absolutely use his shot, and the penalty kill could use his defensive acumen. There’s no aspect of the Flyers that won’t improve with a healthy Tyson Foerster, and this will be his big year. Maybe he’ll even bag a few cheap assists to bump those numbers up; four in 39 games (counting the playoffs) feels impossible with his ice time.
How does Foerster fit in the Flyers’ organization?
If there was any doubt heading into the second year of his two-year bridge deal, the nine years he now has should put any of that to bed. The Flyers have absolutely loved Foerster for years, dating back to the draft, thinking they’d found a player the rest of the league wasn’t privy to. Credit to the Flyers for that one, as Foerster should remain a core piece well into the 2030’s.
Amidst a logjam of wingers, Foerster has a cemented role in the lineup. They’ll move others out to make way for him. With his two-way game as strong as it is, he fits well with almost any combination. The line of Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink was a staple for some time, but with Brink shipped out, the Flyers could choose to construct a juiced up shutdown third line capable of providing plenty of goals on their own. He could be opposite Matvei Michkov or Porter Martone, providing size and defensive coverage for them, or he could play with Trevor Zegras and be the pure shooter.
Obviously Foerster is more talented than a typical third-line winger, but he makes it so easy to deploy against the top lines of other teams and feel good about it. His versatility is a gift, and Tocchet will have plenty of work to do finding everyone the right roles.
What do we think Foerster’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
Unlike many on the list to this point, Foerster’s age means we have a much clearer picture of his actual upside. It feels so clear, and yet, we haven’t seen it realized– a big part of the disappointment from his injury last December. We were robbed of the breakout we’d been waiting for.
As was mentioned earlier, Mark Stone is a pretty good comparable for Foerster’s ceiling: four top-six Selke finishes, down-ballot Hart votes, and a shooting percentage in the 15 to 20 percent range. It’s an exciting outcome for Foerster, and it doesn’t feel at all out of the question, but we do need to see that come to fruition in the next year or two as he enters his prime. Even if there isn’t a “next step” to be taken, Foerster’s already a pretty good NHL player. His $7.1 million cap hit won’t break the bank in this crazy new world, but there’s opportunity for surplus value here. The Flyers need him to be better.
Foerster has somehow played just 34 more games than Matvei Michkov, but he’ll be 25 this January. It’s time to see what we’ve been waiting for.
How we voted
…at No. 3:
| Brad | Tyson Foerster |
| Cole | Tyson Foerster |
| Evan | Matvei Michkov |
| Jason M | Matvei Michkov |
| Kelly | Tyson Foerster |
| Kurt | Tyson Foerster |
| Maddie | Tyson Foerster |
| Readers | Tyson Foerster |
| Ryan G | Tyson Foerster |
| Thomas | Tyson Foerster |
…for Tyson Foerster
| Brad | 3 |
| Cole | 3 |
| Evan | 2 |
| Jason M | 2 |
| Kelly | 3 |
| Kurt | 3 |
| Maddie | 3 |
| Readers | 3 |
| Ryan G | 3 |
| Thomas | 3 |
