Why free agent signings help Flyers towards playoffs

The Philadelphia Flyers of 2025-26 will look a lot different in some respects than in 2024-25. The Flyers went into the season hoping they would be okay in goal, decent on the power play and strong enough up the middle to contend for a playoff spot. Or at least play meaningful games like they did in 2023-24. However, as you\'ll recall, there were a few hiccups. Goaltending was horrid. The power play was as bad as the goaltending. And as for the center position, there were some obvious needs that bandages and tape couldn\'t really resolve. In short, the Flyers needed to do something this offseason to address some of those issues.

Although the 2025 NHL Draft saw the Flyers get some great reviews on their overall selections, one of those players (Porter Martone) might be ready to hit the ground running with Philadelphia in October. Otherwise, they\'re not getting much help this year from kids who are still a few years away. So, the only other routes to try to fix these problems are through trades, offer sheets and signing unrestricted free agents. The offer sheet route has been a source of speculation , but as of this posting, Flyers general manager Danny Briere hasn\'t done the deed. That leaves the trade option and the free agent option, both of which Briere has delved into.

In trading for Trevor Zegras (and not really giving up a lot in return), the Flyers have taken a solid first step to get immediate help at center. Zegras was switched to the wing in Anaheim and didn\'t appear to be a happy camper. A fresh start here in Philadelphia should make the transition a bit smoother. At least that\'s the hope. The same offensive output should also get the Flyers out of the doldrums concerning the power play. A 25th-ranked power play at season\'s end might result in a parade down Broad Street. Somewhere in the middle of the pack and Zegras (along with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov) should all win the Hart Trophy! But by far the most obvious means to try fixing these glaring issues is through free agency. And once July 1 emerged on the calendar, Danny Briere did just that.

That\'s not to say the Flyers went big game hunting and landed the creme de la creme of the free agent market. Not by a long shot. And Briere would be the first to tell you that isn\'t what happened. However, three of the five players Philadelphia signed (the exception being Lane Pederson and Dennis Gilbert, two players who should start the season with Lehigh Valley) could be with the big club and make some sort of impact. It won\'t guarantee a top seeding or top three seeding in the Metropolitan Division. What it should do is make the Flyers one of the teams well within a wildcard seeding. Or close enough to be in the mix down the stretch.

The biggest acquisition not named Trevor Zegras has to be Dan Vladar. Vladar comes to Philadelphia with the reputation of being a decent to good tandem goaltender. None of his statistics are leaps and bounds above Sam Ersson\'s, but Vladar\'s presence should provide some much needed stablity in that position, something the Flyers never had at all last season. Without Ersson (the team\'s number one almost by default), Philadelphia got very little help in terms of earning points with Ivan Fedotov and/or Aleksei Kolosov between the pipes.

For instance, the Capitals got 20 wins out of Charlie Lindgren last season. By comparison, Fedotov and Kolosov combined for 10. Granted Montreal\'s supporting tandem won about the same number of games as the Flyers duo. But if you can\'t get at least decent starts out of them, you\'re putting yourself at a severe disadvantage before the season gets underway. Simply put, the backups can\'t suck nearly as bad as last year for the Flyers to have a fighting chance at playing game eighty-three.

Vladar should alleviate a good chunk of that concern. Nobody anticipates him playing 55 to 60 games (at least as of now) but he should provide some much needed rest for Ersson, something he really hasn\'t had since 2023-24 before the Flyers goaltending situation imploded. Vladar is tall (6\'5\") and beefy, so he should take away a bit more net just by simple, good positioning. He should also be a sounding board of sorts to Ersson having played around the same amount of NHL games as the Swede. He has some experience in the NHL, something Ersson couldn\'t really talk about with Fedotov or Kolosov. And, at age 27, he\'s not a relic like some NHL goalies who signed for five years on July 1. In short, it\'s a short-term attempt to remedy a problem any rebuild can\'t realistically overcome: horrible goaltending. As well, if Vladar comes in with the mindset to make it a 50/50 tandem, or possibly try to become the number one, that competition should hopefully get the best from whoever is still here in September and isn\'t named Ersson.

Next up, the Flyers addressed the center ice position. Aside from the evident upside to Zegras with his offensive production and potential down the middle, Philadelphia added another centerman in Christian Dvorak. Dvorak has some great tools, namely he\'s big, he can win more faceoffs than he loses, and he plays a good two-way game. He can also handle some special teams work, particularly the penalty kill. And he\'s in Rick Tocchet\'s good graces. Some find the $5.4 million for a year a little loopy for a 33-point, bottom six forward. But for a season? On a team not near contention for a Stanley Cup? Please....

Dvorak should end up being the fourth-line center, replacing Ryan Poehling if Couturier, Cates and Zegras are penciled in as the other three. Of course, if Jett Luchanko explodes in training camp and the exhibition season then Philadelphia could be moving a piece to the wing (would suspect Couturier) to make the center position a little younger and speedier. Dvorak\'s addition also should lessen the dearth at center depth. They don\'t look like all-stars, but they do look a little more appealing than they did to start last season. Again, not the panacea for a playoff spot, but puts them a little closer to that discussion.

The other two pieces the Flyers added were one-year deals for depth blueliners. Again, both Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert are big, and they can play big. The money and term is irrelevant, as basically Briere looked at the market and decided to take a low-risk move on both. The injury to Rasmus Ristolainen and his return remains cloudy, and if Egor Zamula takes a step back this season, the hole will be filled by either Gilbert or Juulsen. The best guess would be the two newly signed defensemen end up the sixth and seventh defensemen this year. It puts no pressure on any of the youngster like Oliver Bonk or Hunter McDonald to make the opening night roster. It does flesh out some small but basic needs the Flyers have now that Erik Johnson is no longer in the cards.

So, Briere added a goaltender, he added a fourth-line center and he added some depth pieces on the back end. Overall it\'s not rolling the dice with any of these signings. Should they pan out and play well, they should help the Flyers get closer to a playoff spot or possibly help secure one. The additions also should make Philadelphia a harder team to play against. However, like any other team playing 82 games, there\'s no blueprint to a regular season. News of Tyson Foerster\'s injury could throw his season into some limbo while also messing with the chemistry he had with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. Injuries up front, or to a key defenseman like Travis Sanheim, is something that would severely hamper a playoff spot.

Perhaps one question this coming year would be what the Flyers would do if they were in a playoff spot or within reach of a spot around the trade deadline. Would Briere resort to looking towards the future and attempting to acquire draft capital by swapping out Juulsen, Dvorak and Gilbert to contenders looking for depth pieces? Would he be willing to do what he did in 2022-23 with Sean Walker again in February 2026 when it appears these moves aimed to get Philadelphia closer to the playoffs? That\'s a bigger question for later in the season.

As it stands now, the Philadelphia Flyers had some holes to fill in free agency. And they have filled them. How well they\'re filled is up for debate. One thing seems to be a bit clearer: the Flyers are looking to take a step forward this year. And the signings of Dvorak, Vladar, Juulsen and Gilbert are indications they might be a little closer to that achievement than at any point since Danny Briere took over. For a team looking to improve while also not impeding the progress of its youth in the big picture, these one-year and two-year signings couldn\'t have been better executed and timed. Philadelphia has a little more up front, a little more on the backend, and we think a hell of a lot more in goal. Those aren\'t bad things when it comes to trying to get into the playoffs.

Talking Points