With training camp getting closer, and the season opener a little over one month away, it’s probably a good time to take stock regarding what Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere did (and did not do in one circumstance) regarding the roster. There were a few things that were essentially filling up some cupboards in terms of their American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley. But in other instances, Briere managed to get a lot of business done at a time when some other teams are finding it difficult to fit everyone under their cap.
So, looking at 13 different signings, trades, or extensions, let’s rank how big or influential these moves might be when it comes to moving the Flyers closer to their ultimate goal. We’ll start from 13 and work our way down, leaving you all in suspense!
13) Flyers sign Danila Klimovich, Zach Aston-Reese, Cam Dineen, and Jack Studnicka
Although they weren’t earth-shattering or groundbreaking moves by any stretch, Briere got a little bit of work done on the first day of free agent frenzy by adding depth pieces for Lehigh Valley. It’s important to have a good batch of veterans alongside rookies and youngsters, and Briere deserves credit for these additions. Dineen, Aston-Reese, and Studnicka were each signed on two-year deals worth $875,000 Average Annual Value. Meanwhile, Klimovich signed for one year at $850,000. Again, nothing that exactly will turn heads, but should provide a lot more depth to the Phantoms given Aston-Reese has previous NHL experience and Studnicka spent time in Boston, Vancouver, Florida, and San Jose. Given none of these players are expected to make much of an impact with Philadelphia this season, and are depth pieces, we decided to combine the quartet into one.
12) Flyers sign Nolan Foote
Again, much like the aforementioned signings, Foote’s contract is just for one year and at $850,000. Foote, another former first-round pick that hasn’t panned out, seems to be the type of reclamation project Briere covets since he is just 25 years old. And he seems to fit the bill. Playing left wing, Foote played 12 games last year with the Panthers but has just 42 NHL games under his belt (seven goals, three assists). But it’s the type of addition that might see Foote turn over a new chapter and begin to flourish. If he doesn’t, it’s not a huge commitment given it’s one season. Ideally, Foote might show something to keep him around. If not, there’s no real harm done.
11) Flyers trade Garnet Hathaway to the Panthers
Garnet Hathaway had a miserable first 60 games in Philadelphia. Then when Sean Couturier was sent down to the fourth line, and the Flyers took a chance claiming Luke Glendening, everything seems to click. Hathaway didn’t become a goal-scoring demon. However, he looked more like the depth forward the Flyers were desperately seeking him to be all of last year. He did well in the playoffs, scoring a goal thanks to Owen Tippett’s ridiculous dekes short-handed, but Hathaway was sent to Florida. In exchange the Flyers used the fifth-round pick to select KJ Sauer. The trade also helped add more draft capital to the Flyers coffers after entering the draft a week or two prior with just a handful of picks.
Philadelphia retained 50 per cent of Hathaway’s salary for this coming season. Considering the cap ceiling, it’s basically pennies on the dollar before he’s off the books for good.
10) Flyers re-sign Carl Grundstrom
Had Grundstrom continued his torrid goal-scoring tear in December the rest of the season, he might be signed to a lot more coin and a far longer term. However, his seven goals in December was nearly all of his goal production for the year, ending 2025-26 with nine tallies. The one-year, $1 million deal keeps him in the depth chart and could be that 13th or 14th forward Philadelphia might need hanging around if they run into a string of injuries. Or if the club wants to change the lines up a bit. Grundstrom is capable of playing fourth-line minutes given his size and ability. And considering Rodrigo Abols is no longer on the radar, inking Grundstrom to this low-risk deal isn’t awful. The Flyers know what they have with this decent depth piece.
9) Flyers trade down from 21st to 27th overall
With one first-rounder, and no real traction that could see them move into the top 10 or top 5, Philadelphia was content to take a somewhat wait-and-see approach in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. San Jose came calling, and Briere was able to slide down a few spots in order to obtain two more draft picks this year. San Jose took Ryan Lin with their newly acquired pick, while the Flyers went with imposing defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii with the twenty-seventh pick.
Philadelphia then filled up their goaltending cupboard a bit more, drafting Martin Psholavec with the second-round pick (sixty-second overall), and then taking Marek Sklenicka with the fourth-round pick (120th overall). Sokolovskii, for now, is the prized jewel in Philadelphia’s 2026 draft class. However, the team hopes that both Sklenicka and Psholavec are able to show something down the road. A good swap which added more picks.
8) Flyers re-sign Hunter McDonald
It was the last bit of business Briere did after a somewhat hectic, eventful summer. McDonald, who was a pending restricted free agent, signed a two-year deal at $915,000 AAV. Again, not a deal that breaks the bank, but one that keeps McDonald in the fold without things somehow becoming a bit messy on either side. McDonald turns 25 next May, and has just one regular season game to his credit as a Flyer. After two rather good seasons with the Phantoms, the Flyers are hoping that McDonald can make more of an impression at training camp, or at least survive the first few cuts at camp to make things a bit more interesting. And make more of a stronger case that he’ll be on the short list of call ups should the Flyers run into the injury bug on the blueline. The front office are still quite high on McDonald, but given his age, it’s apparent that he’s going to have to start making some solid steps towards an NHL career sooner than later.
7) Flyers re-sign Nikita Grebenkin
Nikita Grebenkin didn’t do a whole lot in 2025-26, particularly in the 55 games that he played. Grebenkin scored once in a 6-3 loss to Boston on Jan. 29, and it was his last goal of his injury-shortened season. During the summer Grebenkin’s injury was one that seemed to be cause for concern, as Briere said Grebenkin’s injury wasn’t as black and white as it first appeared. However, with him sounding like he’s going to be ready for training camp, re-signing the rugged forward who still is in his early years regarding the NHL isn’t a huge leap of faith. It’s a two-year, $2.2 million contract ($1.1 million AAV).
If Grebenkin can score a little bit more, make more of an impact than he has thus far in his career, and become more consistent on both ends of the ice, then he should end up becoming part of the puzzle moving forward as a third-line or fourth-line energy player. Hopefully the forecheck, backcheck, paycheck credo he mentioned during his days as a Leaf emerges more in 2026-27.
6) Flyers sign Noel Acciari
With Garnet Hathaway gone, Rodrigo Abols back overseas, and Nic Deslauriers still telling all he’s a Cup winner with a contract extension, the Flyers needed to address their fourth line depth. There was talk of signing Luke Glendening based on his rather strong stretch run and playoff performance with Philadelphia. However, Briere opted for someone just as experienced, younger, and possibly with some more offensive upside.
Welcome Noel Acciari. Acciari’s season ended thanks to Cam York’s overtime goal. Yet, he had a decent season with 13 goals and 25 points in 67 games. Acciari can do a lot of the little things, including winning faceoffs, and being a fine linemate to Couturier. At least that’s the idea heading into camp. He’s a veteran with 71 NHL playoff games to his credit, so he’s been there before. Acciari turns 35 in December, but considering the price tag attached ($2.8 million AAV for two years), it’s money that should be well spent. He’s also no slouch when it comes to killing penalties, and could take a bit of the workload off the shoulders of Couturier or Christian Dvorak on one of the two penalty killing units. Again, it’s not a huge move in the big scheme of things, but it should definitely resolve an issue the Flyers didn’t address well heading into 2025-26.
5) Flyers trade Sam Ersson and Emil Andrae for Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit from the Maple Leafs
The idea that Sam Ersson was going to be part of the Flyers goaltending tandem heading into this coming season was horrifying. Kudos for his overtime and shootout stats. But getting to that extra session was hell on earth most nights. Ersson and defenseman Emil Andrae were thus sent to the Leafs, along with a draft pick. In return, Philadelphia received their replacement for Noah Juulsen in Simon Benoit. And most importantly, they resolved their backup issue in adding Joseph Woll to the club. It was a small price to pay in order to ensure the Flyers went in with a much better one-two punch in goal than last season.
In Benoit, the Flyers get a rugged, big, and physical sixth (or seventh) defenseman who won’t be much offensively, but can play limited minutes effectively. Benoit sometimes looks for the big hit which might take him out of position. A season (or half-season) with Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden should iron out any kinks in his game. So on that front, swapping out Andrae — who might have looked more like the odd man out given the organization’s love of size — for Benoit is explicable.
The big catch is Woll, who has had some impressive stints with the Leafs. His save percentage dipped to .899 in 2025-26 from .909 the previous season. On the other hand, Toronto sucked last year, so his numbers might not be entirely his fault. Having him as part of the tandem with Vladar should allay fears of a netminder who sees .860 or more as a good start. The Flyers most likely earned themselves a few more regulation wins already thanks to this solid acquisition. Well worth a sixth-rounder as the additional cost.
4) Flyers re-sign Jamie Drysdale
One of the bigger pieces of business for Philadelphia this summer concerned defenseman Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale made strides to improve his game last year, moving from a guy whose career would always be linked to a current unsigned sitting duck in Anaheim into a quality middle-pairing defender. There was a confidence in his step most nights, and he rarely found himself making a horrible pinch at exactly the wrong time. Outside of the youngsters like Bump, Barkey, and Martone, Drysdale made the biggest impression of any Flyer skater last year.
With the cap rising, and the chance to perhaps cash in a bit more with that cap ceiling rising down the road, Drysdale and the club opted for a happy middle: four years at $26 million ($6.5 million AAV). That’s not a huge overpay considering how neat and tidy the Flyers cap situation is on the back end. Both Drysdale and Travis Sanheim are over the $6 million threshold, while both Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen find themselves with almost identical cap hits (York makes $50,000 more AAV than Ristolainen). The contract should allow Drysdale to just focus on his game, one that might take him further up the depth chart sooner than anybody expected.
3) Flyers sign Dan Vladar to 5-year contract extension
This one is or is not a no-brainer. It all depends on who you ask. You could risk Vladar having a crappy season, then see Briere drive a hard bagain next summer that has the cap hit come in a bit lower, and maybe the term a bit shorter. On the other side of the coin, had Briere decided to see how the season plays out, and Vladar is once again lights out, or even better than his stellar 2025-26 statistics indicate, Briere looks like a fool, inking Vladar to something approaching well north of $7 million AAV and possibly running longer than five years. Was that worth the risk?
Probably not. For a team who has had issues in the net in recent years, and saw Sam Ersson as their number one as recently as 2024-25, seeing Vladar do what he did was remarkable. And considering the team sees him still on his current contract at $3.35 million AAV, it’s a gamble that seems to be worth taking. Vladar will be the number one this season, and possibly for the next few seasons. He has a full No Movement Clause the first two years of the five-year deal, with a modified clause the last three seasons. A small but important wrinkle in the contract is that despite the NMC in the first two years, that clause does not prevent Vladar from being possibly exposed in an expansion draft. Not that anyone is expecting that to happen. But if everything goes pear-shaped, the possibility is there.
For now, Vladar rewarded the Flyers with a fantastic 2025-26. Now they are paying for what they hope will be a handful of years similar to his first with the club.
2) Flyers re-sign Trevor Zegras
After being Philadelphia’s second-leading point-getter last year in his first campaign with the Flyers, forward Trevor Zegras had a strong first season with his new team. Having friends alongside with him hasn’t hurt, but Zegras was able to lead the club quite well most of the season. Sure, he had one or two instances where he and head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t see things the same. What he accomplished was enough to make Philadelphia take another middle-of-the-road risk on a player who looks to be a piece moving forward. The four-year, $36.5 million contract sees Zegras becoming the highest-paid Flyer this year ($9.125 million AAV). And he should provide the Flyers with some offensive pop once again this year. Maybe more if his wingers are the likes of either Tyson Foerster, Matvei Michkov, or Porter Martone.
Zegras gives the Flyers an offensive threat most shifts, and was the only reason perhaps the Flyers weren’t churning out a four per cent or five per cent power play last year. Zegras became comfortable down the middle. He still has a lot of work left to do regarding faceoff efficiency. But considering how well he looked in the role down the stretch, Zegras might look a bit more comfortable starting 2026-27 at center. And could flourish over the next four seasons. There’s a modified No Trade Clause in the third year. Having a great year conclude with salary arbitration seemed far-fetched. Thankfully it never came to that.
1) Flyers re-sign Tyson Foerster
With the speculation regarding contracts to Vladar, Zegras, and Drysdale well underway, Philadelphia threw off a lot of people with news of Tyson Foerster’s extension. It wasn’t a great season for Foerster: injury-plagued for a good chunk of it, with the year bookended with a great start and a surprising return. Foerster, who still has a year left on his current two-year deal, opted for the safer approach to contract negotiations. Considering the injury, he can’t be blamed for taking the money offered to him now. Although he could’ve bet on himself to deliver great seasons on a shorter deal, and thus enable himself to cash in more down the road, Foerster now will be with Philadelphia when he’s 33 years old. He will be beyond his prime then, but should hopefully be contributing in a bottom-six or fourth-line role.
Foerster’s cap hit ($7.1 million AAV) is the type of hit that could look like theft for the Flyers if Foerster’s sniper talent matures, and 30 to 40 goals become the standard he’s capable of. Those numbers would be far more achievable with an average power play, something he hopes to be a part of in turning things around. On the other hand, if Foerster’s shoulder injury becomes the type of problem that is nagging or lingering, then the deal obviously won’t look quite as good.
The Flyers are hoping Foerster looks like the guy who had 10 goals by early December before the injury. If that’s the guy they get, then this might be one of the better contracts league-wide in two or three seasons. In the contract’s third year, a modified No Trade Clause kicks in (10 team no-trade list). So there are options if Foerster falls off a cliff offensively. It’s a move that shows the Flyers have faith in Foerster. Here’s hoping Foerster holds up offensively and physically over the course of the contract.
Honorable Mention: Need we explain?
For a few days, in terms of semantics, the Philadelphia Flyers and Leo Carlsson were joined at the hip. A contract was signed. The Flyers put $90 million over five years on the table for the prized, young center. Carlsson signed the contract. No coercion. No arm-twisting. Carlsson agreed to it. Thus for a brief amount of time, the Flyers and Carlsson had some semblance of a connection. We all know how it turned out, as the Ducks matched the offer, seeing Carlsson now being paid $18 million AAV with a hefty amount paid off in the first 12 months with signing bonuses. Carlsson was that close to becoming a Philadelphia Flyer, and the Flyers were just that close to resolving their issue of a top-end center for the foreseeable future.
It was great while the dream was alive. And kudos for Briere having the stones and moxie to pull off the attempt. However, it didn’t come to fruition. Meaning the Flyers are still without that center they’re seeking high and low to beef up that position. You can’t fault Briere for trying. And, outside of stating he should’ve offered $20 million AAV (and possibly end up losing another key piece in negotiations), he didn’t fail. Another team matched. You can’t blame him for that. Had he succeeded, the Carlsson offer sheet is probably important enough to take up the top three positions on this list. It wasn’t meant to be. The search continues.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com, Hockeydb.com, and Puckpedia.com.
