5 reasons Cam York could traded by Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to improve their roster this offseason and are pivoting into the next phase of their rebuilding plans. Could they be trading one of their young defensemen away to make that happen?

Cam York remains a restricted free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers having finished a two-year, $3.2 million deal ($1.6 million AAV) this past season. Aside from winger Jakob Pelletier, York remains the only RFA yet to put the pen to paper on a contract with the Flyers. Tyson Foerster is signed. And Noah Cates is signed for twice as long as Foerster. But the longer York (who turns 25 in January) and the team go without securing a contract, the more speculation there is that perhaps York\'s days as a Flyer are coming to an end.

Here then are five reasons why York could be starting a new chapter in his National Hockey League career in 2025-26 anywhere but Philadelphia.

1) Mental baggage

When Cam York was at the Flyers training camp for the 2022-23 season, a lot of people figured he would be a lock to make the final cut and start the season in Philadelphia. What many thought and what panned out were two different things. One of the first press conferences featuring John Tortorella as head coach saw Tortorella poke holes in his game and thus deflate York\'s tires, calling his play and effort essentially okay at best. He wanted more. He didn\'t get it. As a result, York was sent down to Lehigh Valley to start the season. The move rubbed some the wrong way. None moreso than York, where he played 20 games before he made the big club. It wasn\'t a huge thing. It was probably something that might have stuck in York\'s craw a little bit. He swallowed his pride, put his head down and put in the work to be recalled for good.

Fast forward to this season, and again York was in the crosshairs of Tortorella. The benching against Toronto after some lackluster coverage in his own zone led to some sort of argument or tussle. Tortorella reportedly suggested he\'d make York\'s life a living hell if he stayed in Philadelphia. York\'s reported reply was he\'d outlast the coach. York was proven right. York was benched for the entirety of Brad Shaw\'s first game as coach for disciplinary reasons, most likely for the dispute. But after that fiasco things simmered down quite a bit. It\'s possible such controversy, although now in the past, would be enough for a player to seek greener pastures or turning over a new leaf.

2) The salary cap

Yes, it sounds like a stupid argument. The salary cap\'s ceiling is going to rise substantially in the following seasons. So of course the Flyers have cap space to sign York to either another bridge contract or a lengthy extension. But do they want to commit somewhere in the area of possibly $6 or 7 million AAV to a defenseman currently on a top pairing but realistically better suited to a second pairing on a contending team for several years? Or do they think they can put that money to better use elsewhere? Adding an unrestricted free agent, dealing York for another restricted free agent that addresses more pressing needs, or possibly attempting to make an offer sheet or two to poach a player who helps the club might be money better spent.

Philadelphia will have some decisions to make next summer like most teams, some of them on the blue line. Jamie Drysdale and Egor Zamula will be RFAs needing another contract while Sam Ersson also needs to be signed as an RFA. Not taking into account contracts to Hunter McDonald, Emil Andrae, Bobby Brink, Nikita Grebenkin, Jacob Gaucher, and a handful of others for now primarily in Lehigh Valley, that is money that could be used to address these contracts. Of course, that\'s not even entertaining locking up Matvei Michkov on a long-term, rather significant contract when his entry-level deal concludes after the 2026-27 season.

3) Numbers game

It\'s probably safe to assume York would be one of the top six defensemen when training camp rolls around in September. Some prospects could play splendidly, York\'s play could take a nosedive and all of a sudden he finds himself out of the lineup. But for this year, it would take something seismic (outside of injury) to see York in the press box.

However, the Flyers look to have tied their wagon to a few up and coming blueliners who might not quite be ready this season, but could be knocking on the door in 2026-27. Oliver Bonk is one defensemen to keep an eye on. Hunter McDonald seems to be another. With Travis Sanheim (and Nick Seeler) currently appearing to be in a Flyers uniform for a few years to come, nothing looks quite so guaranteed for the others including Zamula and Drysdale. Ristolainen is probably on the outside looking in given his injury bug also.

But with the Flyers only eager to dress six or seven defensemen on their roster, general manager Danny Briere is probably taking a longer, harder look at what the Flyers need to turn the corner towards contention. If they are seeking size and a bruiser on the backend -- which might be the case considering the recent rumors of the Flyers pursuing Alexander Romanov from the Islanders -- they won\'t find it in a lot of this lineup as it stands now. And that includes York, who admitted his play this season wasn\'t great. Not by a long shot.

4) Tocchet\'s expectations

Rick Tocchet hasn\'t coached Cam York. He shouldn\'t have any axe to grind or any preconceived notions about the player. But is it possible Tocchet\'s style of coaching and York\'s style of play might not be a perfect fit? It certainly shouldn\'t be as problematic as York\'s relationship (or lack thereof) with Tortorella. Yet do the Flyers want to have York endure another season of ups and downs which could impact his play, impact the team\'s overall record and leave all sides unhappy? The nightmare scenario (after a contract is signed) would be both sides not seeing eye to eye and York\'s play (and minutes) declining. Then seeking to try to trade the defenseman who is merely games into his new contract. You don\'t want to retain salary ideally on any contract. You sure as hell don\'t want to retain beginning with year one!

Again, Tocchet isn\'t coming into Philadelphia looking for a fight. But he\'s not going to back down from players he doesn\'t think are pulling their weight. And if York\'s style of play -- which is more about puck movement and positioning and far less about knocking opponents on their asses -- isn\'t Tocchet\'s cup of tea, wouldn\'t it be wiser to effectively cut ties this summer?

5) If he hasn\'t signed yet...

Clearly, if the months after the season are any indication, the Flyers\' first two priorities in terms of their roster was re-signing Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates. Mission accomplished on both fronts. Also, they obviously spent time looking for a coach and filling that position. With the need to improve the goaltending, and also the possibility of addressing the dearth of center depth this summer, York\'s contract doesn\'t seem to be priority number one. With each passing day, it begins to look like York could be a piece the Flyers are willing to part with to possibly resolve one of these issues. Or take a step towards fixing those problems.

It hasn\'t quite reached the writing on the wall like Morgan Frost did most of last season and this season, with nearly everyone knowing Frost wasn\'t a part of Philadelphia\'s future. What is clear is the Flyers could be wanting another team to see York as a valuable asset and inquire about him. York obviously wouldn\'t command a king\'s ransom by any stretch. If he was part of a package that could lead the Flyers to have more high-end center depth, Cam York heading out of town probably wouldn\'t be considered a huge, devastating loss to the Flyers\' future fortunes.

Talking Points