On Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that one of the teams crying in their beers with the dearth of free agent talent in 2026 was the Philadelphia Flyers. But while they’re missing out on game-breaking talent, it might end up working in their favor still.
With Alex Tuch being at the top of the list for now, it’s a drop from the talent that was once available in Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Kirill Kaprizov, and Adrian Kempe. So, with the class of 2026 having very few difference makers that aren’t past their primes, General manager Danny Briere is going to have to look elsewhere to improve the Flyers. But perhaps that might have been the better idea all along. In fact, Briere and the Flyers might have dodged a bullet by not investing tens of millions on one player and one player alone. Of course nobody is going to argue that Connor McDavid as a Flyer would be a negative. Yet it might have worked out for the better in the long run. Let me explain.
Since he took over from former Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, Danny Briere preached patience, patience, patience. The team would start removing deadweight, players that didn’t fit the future rebuild, and acquire picks through trades that might hurt them short-term, but end up paying dividends down the road. One constant however was that the Flyers were going to be buyers when July 1 and free agent frenzy rolled around. Not in 2024, and probably not in 2025. But the calendar was likely circled for July 1, 2026. A who’s who of potential unrestricted free agents was coveted: McDavid, Eichel, Connor, Kempe and Kaprizov were some of the names bandied about. One of these players would leave their current teams, sign on the dotted line of a what was basically a blank check, and end up taking Philadelphia to the next level.
Well, it’s now December, and all of those names are off the radar, at least for another two years in the case of McDavid but much longer for Eichel, Connor, Kaprizov, and Kempe. What’s left is a class that is going to be much tougher to take the Flyers forward for an extended period of time. A lot of veterans quite long in the tooth (Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Artemi Panarin) that don’t quite fit the blueprint of younger, “in their prime” high-end talented forwards. And a lot who would be making their second stint in a Flyers uniform (Claude Giroux, Ryan Poehling, Radko Gudas, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Andrei Kuzmenko). Simply put, the Flyers and a lot of other teams who rolled the dice on the summer of 2026 have seemingly lost. Or will lose huge if they take a big risk signing any of those relics. But it’s not entirely gloom and doom. At least it shouldn’t be.
What Briere has done
Thus far Briere hasn’t done a lot in landing huge team-altering stars. But he has tinkered. And tinkered greatly to the Flyers’ benefit. Nothing outside of Trevor Zegras has provided the Flyers more of a lift to their playoff chances than the signing of free agent goaltender Dan Vladar. It’s early, and there’s still plenty of season remaining. So far Vladar has earned every penny Briere gave him in July. Although looking like he was Sam Ersson’s backup entering training camp, Vladar has dominated, putting the Flyers near the top of some goaltending statistics, an idea that would’ve been defined as delusional to consider last spring. It wasn’t a huge signing, but it was a hole that Briere saw he could address. And boy, has Vladar filled that hole so far. It’s been huge acquisition for the Flyers for essentially pennies on the dollar for this season and next is proof Briere is capable of rolling with the punches.
So with no legitimate star-studded free agent looking to make the Flyers his home in 2026-27, Briere needs to keep doing what he’s doing. What that means is probably twofold: Briere is going to have to continue to build from within with draft picks and acquiring assets if the situations calls for it, and he’s going to have to be flexible to making trades in the vein of the Trevor Zegras deal earlier this year. It looks like highway robbery at this point, especially with Philadelphia still retaining his rights as a restricted free agent. Briere needs to do that kind of deal to prevent painting himself into a corner, namely making a huge overpay on a mid-level player simply because it’s the only guy out there when July 1 rolls around.
Had Briere and his scouting staff done anything less than a fantastic job at the last few drafts, then it would be safe to say fans should be concerned. The cupboards were quite bare and most of those who were selected pre-Briere proved to be primarily busts or marginal players at best. But adding the following prospects has certainly heightened the hope and optimism in recent years. Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, Denver Barkey, Shane Vansaghi, Egor Zavragin and Carson Bjarnason are some of the names that either currently are or look to be pieces of the Flyers moving forward. Some look far more ready than others, but all seem to be likely pieces down the road. Or at worst valuable assets.
But by drafting so well, it makes it easier for Briere to pick up the phone about potential players and trading partners. Nobody is expecting the Flyers to part with a handful of those prospects unless it’s for a top-tiered center or a stud on the blueline. Yet the option or opportunity is there should a team like Vancouver or Buffalo decide to blow things up and start anew. Only a few teams have drafted as well as Philadelphia has the last three seasons. Had Briere and company done nothing the last three years, or kept Scott Laughton, Sean Walker, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, Philadelphia wouldn’t have some of the assets they have now. Had they drafted poorly and looked at the summer of 2026 as their salvation or one-stop cure, well, they’d be in a world of hurt.
Has won far more trades than lost
Briere has stated he’d like to add this season if Philadelphia are contending for a playoff spot. But any acquisition, in Briere’s words, has to make sense. It’s something he’s preached since arriving. And that probably won’t change now. By stocking the cupboards with prospects, he’s done the initial grunt work needed to lay the foundation for any foreseeable successful rebuild. It’s up to him to see how he navigates future waters, particularly with a rising salary cap and some stars opting to sign shorter deals to maximize their value long-term.
Also, considering Briere’s history as general manager, there have been very few deals where he hasn’t come out smelling like roses. Whether it was the flexibility in moving out Ivan Provorov, finding a new home for Ryan Ellis, adding cheap depth blueliners like Erik Johnson and Marc Staal, or ending up with Jamie Drysdale after keeping under wraps for months the fact William Gauthier didn’t want to play in Philadelphia. All of those were different situations, yet demonstrated the tact and skill Briere had in each case.
In the end, it’s quite apparent Briere and the Flyers are adding pieces through trades, possibly acquiring at the trade deadline, and looking at the NHL Draft as their way to get back to contention. The summer of 2026 should be a lesson to Briere and the organization moving forward: don’t put your eggs in one basket. Hopefully the draft picks the last few years exceed expectations, thus making the Flyers look similar to the likes of Dallas, Edmonton, and Colorado in drafting stars and keeping them for the long haul. Or at least their prime years. And with the amount of prospects in the pipeline, Briere might still need some patience before he delivers a big fish in the free agent pond of ’27 or ’28. With Michkov still on his entry-level contract and the Flyers being one of the younger teams in the league, there’s still no rush. The window to win a Cup still hasn’t opened yet.
