Philadelphia Flyers 2025 Top 25 Under 25, No. 3: Tyson Foerster

Welcome to Broad Street Hockey’s Summer 2025 Top Under 25! The series is back, and with the Philadelphia Flyers focusing so much on the future, it’s more important than ever. Join us as we rank the 25 best players under the age of 25.

No. 3: Tyson Foerster

2024-25 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2024-25 Statistics: 25 G, 18 A in 81 GP
Age as of 9/15/2025: 23 (1/18/2002)
Acquired Via: 2020 NHL Entry Draft — Round 1, Pick 23

Since Tyson Foerster made his NHL debut in March of 2023, only two Flyers have lit the lamp more times than the 2020 first-round draft selection. Those players? Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett. With two full seasons of NHL experience now under his belt, Foerster enters his third campaign with considerably higher expectations. And given his current trajectory, it’s become something of an expectation that he’ll take the next step and reach new heights as a bona fide goal scorer.

Health permitting, of course.

How did Foerster’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

Overall, Foerster took an encouraging step forward in 2024-25, but his campaign wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the early going. He logged just three points (two goals, one assist) in his first 16 games of the season and was even banished to the press box as a healthy scratch in an October matchup against the Washington Capitals. After scoring 20 goals as a rookie the year prior, fans were concerned he’d fallen victim to the dreaded sophomore slump.

Luckily, Foerster ended up finding his footing. From November 16 through the end of the season, he led the team in goals (23) and trailed only Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov with 40 points in 65 games. Many of those points, including his first hat trick as an NHLer, came in the season’s homestretch, when he averaged over a point per game in the Flyers’ final 12 outings of the campaign. He was also a rare bright spot on the Flyers’ mostly horrendous power play, finishing third on the team with eight power-play points (six of which were goals) and serving as a strong presence around the netfront, where he potted a considerable portion of his goals. As an added bonus, he also showed encouraging flashes on the penalty kill, logging over 75 minutes of ice time on the PK on the season.

Much like during his rookie season, though, consistency was an issue. At his best, Foerster was an effective 200-foot player capable of scoring in bunches. At his worst, he was at times invisible.

What are we expecting from Foerster this season? What should we be looking for from him?

Foerster is already one of the Flyers’ top goal scorers, and going into the 2025-26 season, there’s a reasonable expectation that he could take yet another step toward the 30-goal threshold — a milestone no Flyer aside from Travis Konecny has reached since 2019.

But in order to meet that expectation, he’ll need to get healthy.

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere revealed in July that Foerster suffered what was originally believed to be a minor arm injury at the IIHF World Championship. However, Foerster eventually developed an infection in his elbow, which required surgery to mend. He is still recovering from the offseason surgery and has begun training camp wearing a non-contact jersey. When speaking to the media Tuesday, though, Briere insisted Foerster should be able to shed the non-contact jersey “within the first week” of camp.

Assuming this injury doesn’t produce any lingering effects, Foerster is likely to begin the season playing a significant role as a scoring left winger in the Flyers’ middle six while continuing to take on heavy usage on the power play. And if the power play improves even marginally (not exactly a high bar to hurdle), it wouldn’t be surprising to see an uptick in Foerster’s point production.

How does Foerster fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?

Foerster doesn’t just fit within the Flyers’ rebuild. He may be a cornerstone of it.

In May, the Flyers signed Foerster to a two-year bridge deal carrying an average annual value of just $3.75 million. Pretty good value for a young forward fresh off a 25-goal season. By agreeing to the modest cap hit, Foerster is betting on himself with hopes that when his contract expires in 2027, he’ll be due for a more lucrative deal — and with the salary cap rapidly increasing, he could be on track for an enormous raise.

However, he’ll first need to prove he’s worthy of securing that bag.

The danger of his new deal is that it is very movable. If the Flyers see an opportunity to land a superstar player via trade, Foerster’s team-friendly contract would likely be an attractive piece of a potential return. Of course, that scenario serves as nothing other than sheer, unadulterated speculation.

The Flyers have high hopes for Foerster, and if he continues to round out his game, he’ll likely be a key cog in the Flyers’ lineup for a very long time.

What do we think Foerster’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Foerster has already established himself as a quality middle-six winger, and he’s still only 23 years old. If his upward trajectory continues, it wouldn’t be even remotely shocking to see him take the next step and carve out a permanent role as a top-six sniper capable of hovering around the 30-goal mark year over year.

Of course, that’s the most optimal outcome. There’s also exists the possibility that his development reaches a plateau, but with an improved supporting cast and the removal of John Tortorella’s defense-first system, that seems unlikely.

It would be unrealistic to assume Rick Tocchet will mold Foerster into a Flyers version of Mark Stone, but given his ability to fill the back of the net, paired with his solid two-way play, it’s completely rational to envision him taking on a similar role as a long-term staple on the wing.

Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:

Talking Points