It feels like year in and year out that every offseason is “make or break” for the Flyers and they often choose the latter. And while Danny Briere’s summer track record as GM is rather unimpressive thus far, some late-season changes made to both the roster and coaching staff have sewn some hope that the 2025 offseason will be a big one for the Flyers. So what are some early storylines we can expect to follow this summer?
Number 5: Do The Flyers Finally Address Center?
It has been an on-running gimmick for years now that the Flyers just refuse to address their center depth. While the spotlight has shifted greatly to that flaw over the last year or so, it doesn’t guarantee it’s going to get addressed. Even with the influx of late-season prospect signings, nobody is in line to fill an NHL role at center. If they’re lucky, maybe the 2025 draft gives them something to work with, because the offseason free agent pool (and what we know of the trade scene so far) is not looking overly prosperous to fix their longstanding problem. They’re going to have to get creative to fix the center position, and “creativity” isn’t a word that is generally associated with the Flyers these days.
Number 4: Does Cam York Stay or Go?
York, the 24-year-old left-handed defenseman, is a pending restricted free agent this summer and has certainly found his name in the spotlight after possibly being the reason Tortorella met his maker. If the Flyers are in the hunt for a top center via trade, York is the best chip they have. But it’s not an easy decision to deal their young D-man, even if he’s had a rough season, but the player himself may not have much interest in returning either, and it’s possible that feeling is mutual from the organization’s side as well. And what would his cap hit end up being anyway given his down year? One way or another, Cam York’s saga will be a big chapter of the 2025 offseason, even if we don’t know what avenue they end up taking yet.
Number 3: Do They Shed Some Contracts?
There’s not a single pending free agent on the main roster and only four RFAs (Cates, Foerster, Pelletier and York.) Everyone else is under contact for the 2025-26 season and beyond. The Flyers just cannot run back a nearly identical product for the third straight season, but change isn’t going to be a cakewalk either. If they want guys like Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, Alex Bump etc. to make the NHL in their rookie year, some subtractions will have to be made, even if they don’t intentionally fill them with exterior players.
Number 2: Who Replaces Tortorella?
The hunt for the next head coach of the Flyers is on after the dismissal of John Tortorella. As of this writing, everyone has their favorite potential candidates, but there hasn’t been much in terms of real rumors to hint at their next guy. Whoever it is, the Flyers need to take this hiring seriously. It will not only impact the outcome of the next step of the “rebuild,” but could very well define Briere’s time as GM. If they miss on this one, it could bring the whole current front office regime down with it.
Number 1: The 2025 Draft
The Flyers blew their draft positioning to kingdom come after firing John Tortorella led to a win-filled last 10 games. And now, barring lottery luck, that top five pick is in serious jeopardy. They do have three picks in the first round (their own, Colorado’s and Edmonton’s.) The latter two will more than likely be mid-20s picks while their own will fall somewhere in the top 10.
The Flyers haven’t really been afraid to trade picks under Brent Flahr, so between a perceived weaker class and a litany of main roster needs, the Flyers could be active on draft day. whether it’s players they pick or trades they make, they need to do their best to make this draft count.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 