Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere never said Connor McDavid was heading to Philadelphia. Nor Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Kirill Kaprizov or any other high-profile, highly-talented forward to help the Flyers take the next step to contention. Check the tapes, nothing was uttered. In an ideal world fans believed the Flyers would be able to pull the trigger on such a franchise-altering acquisition. But Briere remained relatively silent on what the end goal was. Next summer was circled on the Flyers calendar. That much is clear.
Most who follow the team believed that one of the main keys, if not the key to the summer of 2026 was to land a big name center that could finally and successfully address the piecemeal solutions the Flyers have used in recent years. A huge talent down the middle is key for most team contending for the Stanley Cup. Somebody who could play with Michkov, Porter Martone, or complement the other wingers And not just one but ideally two as has been the case with Edmonton (Leon Draisaitl and McDavid) and Florida (Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart).
Simply put, a big addition in center would’ve relieved a lot of problems, while also easing the pressure on the likes of Jett Luchanko or Jack Nesbitt to emerge as the big answer to all of Philadelphia’s problems. Give the pups time to develop while the superstar takes on a lot of the workload himself.
Unfortunately, Briere and the Flyers brass have often looked at the summer of 2026 to be the summer where at least one star would find Philadelphia to be a tempting proposition and sign here. Nobody was sure who it would be. But in the span of a few recent weeks, that class of possible unrestricted free agents has narrowed considerably. And with that the chances of adding a key piece through free agency next July 1 far more difficult. If not highly unlikely.
One only has to look at this week to see that those arguably on the UFA Mount Rushmore have been locked up by their clubs. Some for just a few more years, others for a rather lengthy extension. On Oct. 6, McDavid signed an extremely team-friendly “get me a Cup” two-year contract for $25 million and will be in Edmonton another three seasons. On Thursday, it was reported that Vegas and Jack Eichel will be joined at the hip thanks to an eight-year $108 million deal. Hours prior to Eichel, word leaked out that Connor signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with Winnipeg. And September ended with the big one as Minnesota’s Kaprizov agreed to stay with the Wild for eight more years and $136 million.
If the Flyers landed one of these big players next July, chances are fans would’ve celebrated regardless of the term or cap hit given to the new addition. But with each passing announcement, the Flyers (and other teams looking to improve via free agency) are staring at fewer fish, making the demand higher and the dollars attached possibly far greater than envisioned. Heck, the idea of landing an aging forward on a cheap, short-term deal may leave a sour taste in some mouths, yet it’s an option that Briere and company may have to seriously look at.
So, has the rebuild stalled a bit before the 2025-26 season even is a week old? Or will Briere have to once again be creative and try to land someone either through a hockey trade or simply going the offer-sheet route on a restricted free agent of need? Well, before tossing the proverbial half-empty glass to the floor, let’s see who is still for the time being available via free agency. And could any of those players still be there next July.
You have to remember that for a lot of players, they (nor their agents) don’t like negotiating once the season has commenced. If no deal is signed before the puck is dropped on the 2025-26 season for their respective teams, these unrestricted free agents sometimes won’t want to talk contract. So there’s still a few out there who might be adequate enough to fit the bill, but come without the pop or sizzle a McDavid or Eichel would’ve given the club.
What impact forwards are even left as 2026 UFAs?
As of now, the big center (if he is one, since he has largely played his entire NHL career on the wing) out there is Martin Necas. Necas split last season between Carolina and Colorado and got 83 points. He turns 27 in January and hopes to be a crucial part of the Avalanche trying to make a deep run next spring. Necas in a Flyers uniform would be a coup of sorts given the suitors he’ll have should Colorado part ways with him at year’s end.
Outside of Necas, in terms of impactful (potential) centers, it’s relatively slim pickings. This is especially true if Briere adheres to the idea of the move making sense, namely the free agent falling in a certain age range and fitting the plan with respect to the rebuild. A quick glimpse at centers sees a lot in their thirties and a lot are even further, in the twilight years of their career. Although Claude Giroux has moved on from Philadelphia by going to Ottawa, signing the former captain on the cheap on a short one-year deal might start looking appealing as the 2026 Free Agency prospects continue to shrink.
Going further down the list, the names become a bit more familiar (Ryan Poehling, Scott Laughton) and a lot less appealing. So Briere might have to pivot and do something differently, namely offer sheets or a big blockbuster trade that lures a talented center with term (and relatively young) to Philadelphia. Those options though rely on the whims of a player or another team’s needs (and possible cap space). And possibly unloading pieces of the rebuild Briere wasn’t keen on losing. In short, the Flyers have done nothing wrong but find their hands tied a little bit tighter than they were about a month ago.
The Flyers are looking forward to this season. A few changes in the personnel, some prospects hopefully individually having great years in their development could see Philadelphia chasing one of two wildcard positions. That might be considered a successful year. Yet adding to that or riding that wave of momentum into the offseason has gotten a bit more arduous for Briere. The notion of adding pieces through free agency have seemingly at best stalled somewhat. Nothing was guaranteed to begin with. It just seems with those names being bandied about no longer available, the Flyers are going to have to look at other avenues to add to their talent base.
Perhaps the only thing that might have made these signings worse from a Flyers standpoint is if these superstars got to free agency, all met with Briere and the Flyers, and decided to go elsewhere. That might have been a complete disaster from an image standpoint as well as trying to help a team looking to move in the right direction. So as disappointing as these signings may be, it would’ve been a nightmare to go through the process next summer and come up empty-handed.
Anyone who has watched the last few seasons are hoping meaningful games are played all year. Briere will obviously listen to offers if the Flyers are cellar dwellers at the deadline and acquire assets. And he’ll do his best to help the club via trades as he did earlier in the year landing Trevor Zegras. The one lesson he probably learned early on as Philadelphia’s general manager but had it strongly reinforced in the last few weeks is this: building a contender takes time. Longer if your prospects don’t blossom. And possibly forever if you’re convinced a superstar is heading to Philadelphia via free agency in the near future.
