The 2024-25 Philadelphia Flyers’ season is about to come to a merciful end. But after some late-season roster changes and dismissing John Tortorella, there is some renewed optimism around the Flyers and their plans for the offseason. So what does the organization have up their sleeve during the summer of ’25? Let’s make some predictions!
Number 5: Noah Cates Makes Bank
We didn’t call this version of Top 5 “Bold Predictions” because, well, is it really a bold prediction for the Flyers to hand out a gigantic contract to a middle six forward? It’s just the status quo these days. The 26-year-old pending RFA set a new personal best in goals (15) but will likely fall short of his career high in points (38) and has had quite the career rejuvenation as the 2024-25 season progressed. In a perfect world, he’d be a replacement for Sean Couturier. In the real world, Couturier is under contract for five more seasons. He’s probably in line for a contract hovering around 5x$5 which is just disappointing considering all the other recent long-term, big money deals handed out lately.
Number 4: Flyers Recruit David Carle for HC
All eyes will be on the coaching search the Flyers are about to undergo after finally removing John Tortorella from power, and among the early list of names is collegiate coach David Carle. Carle, who has won two national championships with Denver and recently helped Team USA to a gold medal at the World Juniors highlights the up-and-coming options. He’s brothers with former Flyer Matt Carle and has coached Bobby Brink and Massimo Rizzo, so there are some loose Flyers connections there already. He’d be a big get for the organization’s young core and not some tired re-tread, which may be the change of pace the Flyers desperately need.
Number 3: Owen Tippett Gets Traded
Leave it to the Flyers to sign a player to a massive eight-year, $50 million contract then come to the conclusion that the player may not be very good. He has now teased the Flyers with potential for a third consecutive season, but is on pace to end the year with easily his worst output from his time with the club. A 10-team no-trade list kicks in during 2026, so even though it won’t be easy, dumping Tippett and his contract may be a smart move in the short and longterm as the reconstruction of the Flyers’ roster continues.
Number 2: Goalie Improvements
The goaltending has been an unmitigated disaster for the last two seasons, and all three of Ersson, Fedotov and Kolosov are under contract for 2025-26 as well. It’s highly unlikely the Flyers pivot into a full tank and rebuild next season, so if they want to give their plucky underdog status a fighting chance, they’re going to need to address the goaltending… somehow. Luckily, they’re at a point where just about anything can be considered progress, so there’s that.
Number 1: Flyers Add a Center
The Flyers’ lack of center depth has been an ongoing gimmick for nearly a decade now, and somehow it just keeps getting worse. Unfortunately for them, the 2025 offseason doesn’t exactly have a plentiful center market to address their problem. But the excuses for Briere are not going to hold water any longer. He needs to get creative and finally bring in a top six center, if for no other reason than to help Matvei Michkov develop further.
Honorable Mention
Cam York Gets…
The biggest in-house contract the Flyers have to worry about is defenseman Cam York. The pending RFA had a rough season under John Tortorella, and could’ve very well been the catalyst for his dismissal. He doesn’t have many natural options as a restricted free agent, so another short-term contract could be in the cards, both to get himself to UFA status, but also because his lackluster play has dinged his expected contract based on his contemporaries across the league. They could trade him, he’s probably there best main roster chip right now, but it doesn’t seem like the best idea to just give up on him either. It’s a strange crossroads and the best path isn’t exactly an easy choice.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Getty Images
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