Your guide to a critical Flyers offseason: Draft picks, cap space, free agency targets, and more

Right here, right now is the Flyers tomorrow.

Or at least that was always the plan: The 2026 offseason would be a big one for the Flyers.

But as general manager Danny Brière said at his end-of-season media availability a week ago, the plans may have detoured. “We thought there’d be more guys available for free agency this year, and there’s actually less,” he said.

So, what does the summer hold for the Flyers as they try to build on their playoff appearance? The Inquirer breaks down everything you need to know as they head into the offseason.

The following players are expected to play at the NHL level next season for the Flyers and are under contract.

Despite substantial injuries to several players, including Tippett’s sports hernia and internal bleeding that kept him out of the second-round playoff series loss to Carolina, all are expected to be ready to go for training camp in mid-September. This year, the training camp schedule will include only four preseason games.

» READ MORE: Flyers full injury report includes broken bones for Travis Konecny, Cam York, Noah Cates, and Christian Dvorak

Also under contract for next season are forwards Jack Berglund, Alex Čiernik, Devin Kaplan, Cole Knuble, Noah Powell, and Riley Thompson; defensemen Oliver Bonk, Jackson Edward, Spencer Gill, Helge Grans, David Jiříček, and Ty Murchison; and goalies Carson Bjarnason and Aleksei Kolosov, who all could vie for roster spots.

Bonk, Murchison, and McDonald each made their NHL debuts this season, with Jiříček making his Flyers debut in Game 82. Bonk and Jiříček are strong contenders to break camp with the Orange and Black come September, with the latter needing to clear waivers to be sent down. Gill will turn pro in 2026-27, and Berglund, Edwards, Knuble, Powell, and Thompson got a taste of the American Hockey League at the end of the season with Lehigh Valley.

Garrett Wilson, who spent the end of the season with the Flyers, is signed to an AHL contract for next season. Kolosov signed a one-year extension on May 15, and of the NHLers, Foerster, Hathaway, Michkov, Ristolainen, and Vladař will be restricted or unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2027. They can be signed to an extension at the start of free agency this summer.

Andrae, Drysdale, Ersson, Grebenkin, and Zegras are all restricted free agents who are arbitration-eligible. They must receive qualifying offers at a minimum set by the collective-bargaining agreement.

» READ MORE: Who should the Flyers retain for next season? Read expert opinions and vote in Stay or Go

The two players who are expected to sign in the near future are Zegras and Drysdale.

According to Puckpedia, Zegras’ minimum is set at $5.75 million, which he made this past season, but the expectation is that he will get a raise and a long-term deal. The only question is whether he will get winger money or the more lucrative center contract.

Drysdale’s number is at $2.3 million, also what he made this season, but the Flyers’ most-improved players should get a raise.

Grebenkin, Andrae, and Ersson are not as locked in, with the latter two being more of a coin flip.

Brière mentioned at his end-of-season availability that Grebenkin, who has been dealing with an upper-body injury since late March that caused him to miss the rest of the season, could miss additional time early next year. The Russian winger is due a qualifying offer of $826,875, while Andrae is at $874,125, and Ersson’s is a slight raise to $1.6 million.

Aside from Ginning, Katchouk, Richard, and Pederson, who led the Phantoms in scoring, the above players are restricted free agents and would need to receive qualifying offers. All qualifying offers are due to players by June 30.

Time to do some math.

The good news is that the salary cap is rising from $95.5 million to $104 million in 2026-27. Already under the cap this past season, the Flyers will have room to play with come July 1. Even after signing their restricted free agents, they should still have a decent amount of money left over.

According to PuckPedia, as of May 20, the Flyers’ roster has a projected cap hit of $65,592,917 with projected space of $38,407,083.

That number does not include the restricted free agents or the contracts of players listed in the minors by Puckpedia, like Bonk and Jiříček, who likely will make strong pushes for NHL spots.

» READ MORE: Five questions for Danny Brière and the Flyers as they embark on their first offseason with expectations

Add in the minimum the Flyers need to pay Zegras and Drysdale, and the projected cap hit rises to $73,642,917. Although both should get raises, with those minimums met, it leaves just over $31 million in cap space to fill out the roster.

The remaining pieces could come from the Flyers’ own restricted and unrestricted free agents, players elevated from the AHL, or from the free-agent market. And there’s always the chaotic offer sheet, where another team tries to sign away a restricted free agent — sometimes at a cost of draft picks — and the current team must decide whether to match.

As of last summer, the interesting angle is also that the cap limit is expected to rise again, this time to $113.5 million in 2027-28.

Yes.

The Flyers will no longer owe any player money as the buyout of Cam Atkinson and the retained salaries of Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes come off the books. They also traded Ryan Ellis’ contract in early October to the San Jose Sharks.

Puckpedia lists some buried money from this season with Tomasino and Jiříček; however, Tomasino is a restricted free agent and needs a new contract, and Jiříček should be in the NHL next season.

“We’re in a good spot as far as the salary cap goes, as far as our picks [go], as far as our prospects [go]. So there’s a lot of upsides there,” Brière told the media after the Flyers’ season ended.

“And if there’s an opportunity to jump on something that could help us, yeah, it’s my job to look at everything. But I don’t feel that I’m forced to make a move just to make a move, because we’ve made it into the playoffs this year.”

So what does that mean exactly? Well, the GM said he would like to improve “probably everywhere,” but not a lot has changed from his wish list from last season, although goaltending is a little more solidified. His eyes are still on a No. 1 center, a No. 1 defenseman, and now maybe a new No. 2 goalie.

» READ MORE: A player the Flyers could pursue, an Eagles prediction, and other thoughts ...

If the Flyers do not want to re-sign Ersson, there are several big-name netminders available as unrestricted free agents — for example, former Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky — although that doesn’t mean any want to be a backup to Vladař.

Career backup Eric Comrie, Vladař’s countryman Vítek Vaněček, and Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner are interesting options. Several teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings need to move on from a goalie. Could Sam Montembeault, Pyotr Kochetkov, Devon Levi, Sebastian Cossa, or Joseph Woll be on the block?

As for centers, the free- agent market for a top pivot is super thin — aside from a soon-to-be-40-year-old Evgeni Malkin — but if they want to add depth, someone like Teddy Blueger, whom Flyers coach Rick Tocchet had in Vancouver, could be an option.

Defensively, it’s a bit better with several power-play guys like John Carlson — he’s from North Jersey and played for Todd Reirden in Washington — Darren Raddysh, and Rasmus Andersson all available.

The other option is the good old offer sheet or trade. The Flyers have some draft capital to use, including that first-rounder from Toronto for a trade.

Players who fit the Flyers’ options as restricted free agents include centers Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli and his teammate, Cole Sillinger, Cole Perfetti, Mavrik Bourque, and Kirby Dach, and defensemen Brandt Clarke, Simon Nemec, and Olen Zellweger.

By trade, some names heard include centers Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken, Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, and Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs.

The Flyers are heading into June’s draft with just five picks — in the first, second, third, sixth, and seventh rounds. The Flyers will pick at No. 21 in the first round.

The fourth-round pick was surrendered as part of the Zegras trade last June. Their fifth-round pick was part of the trade that sent Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2024 and gave the Flyers a first-rounder in 2025. The pick was part of the swap of first-rounders with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which helped the Flyers select Jack Nesbitt at No. 12.