The Philadelphia Flyers’ NHL roster didn’t change much on trade deadline day, other than Bobby Brink getting shipped to the Minnesota Wild for David Jiricek and fourth-line tough guy Nic Deslauriers off to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Yet, the depth chart has certainly shifted since the start of the season, as some players have been pleasant surprises, and others disappointments.
Let’s take a position-by-position look at where things stand now, and how it may affect the way general manager Daniel Briere attempts to improve the team in the coming offseason.
Center
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
$5.15 million
2030-31
$4 million
2028-29
$7.75 million
2029-30
UFA
—
UFA
—
$942k
2027-28
RFA
—
RFA
—
Unsigned
—
Unsigned
—
This still ain’t pretty.
One notable tidbit from Briere’s media conference on Friday was that when rattling off the number of wingers the club has — which is what made Brink expendable — is that he listed Trevor Zegras as being one of them. That’s not overly surprising, as Zegras has spent the majority of this season as a left wing, but it’s probably time for everyone to accept that Zegras is more effective there than he is in the middle.
Consequently, the gigantic hole the Flyers have at this position remains. While Christian Dvorak and Noah Cates are solid two-way guys and can occasionally generate consistent offense, they are not top-line centers and aren’t fast.
We’ll see whether any of the Flyers’ top prospects, such as Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund or Jack Nesbitt, can step into the NHL next season, but that seems a little ambitious at this stage of their careers. Luchanko likely has the best chance considering his speed and that he’s made the team out of camp the last two seasons, but the Flyers won’t want to rush him, either. That could open the door for them to either re-sign Rodrigo Abols, or find another depth center on the free-agent market, while also likely pursuing a more high-end center via trade — something Briere acknowledged they explored before the deadline.
“We had some discussions. Right now, it’s been tabled closer to the draft,” Briere said. “We’ll look back into that. But we looked into it. We’re aware. We know that it’s an area we’d like to improve. It’s all about timing and value. … We’ve never hid from the fact that we’d like to improve that position.”
It will be offseason priority No. 1.
Right wing
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
$8.75 million
2032-33
$6.2 million
2031-32
$950k
2026-27
$2.4 million
2026-27
Unsigned
—
It’s a bit tough to break this down by right and left wing, considering that coach Rick Tocchet has deployed some of them differently than they were last season. Even so, the Flyers still have a healthy contingent of wingers at both positions, even without Brink.
For now, we’ll put Matvei Michkov on the right, which is where he’s still most likely to end up and where he played on Saturday in Pittsburgh in the Flyers’ 4-3 shootout win now that Brink is gone. That said, Michkov will need to have a productive summer to show Tocchet and Briere that he’s serious about putting this season’s physical struggles behind him.
It’s tough to predict which side top prospect Porter Martone will end up on, too. He’s a natural right wing and is playing there at Michigan State, but he and the organization have left open the possibility that the sixth pick in the 2025 draft could ultimately skate as a left wing.
It’s also fair to wonder what the club will do with Garnet Hathaway in the offseason. Considering his immense struggles, a buyout seems possible.
Left wing
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
RFA
—
$3.75 million
2026-27
$863k
2027-28
RFA
—
$950k
2027-28
UFA
—
Zegras will be re-signed, likely to a multi-year deal, while Foerster’s recovery from shoulder surgery is on track, Briere noted on Friday.
However, the real change in this position from the start of the season is Denver Barkey’s sudden arrival, which no one predicted would happen in September. If Barkey improves his strength in the offseason, he could very well solidify his place in the NHL lineup if he hasn’t already. He’s already leapfrogged other prospects such as Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin.
Still, Bump (who scored his first NHL goal in his debut on Saturday) and Grebenkin still have potential to keep improving, which makes this a pretty crowded field for roster spots. That’s what Briere and the organization want: internal competition among young players, which should only increase in the coming years with their recent draft picks.
Right defense
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
$5.1 million
2026-27
RFA
—
UFA
—
RFA
—
$887k
2027-28
RFA
—
$788k
2026-27
$890k
2027-28
With Rasmus Ristolainen still here — for now — he and Jamie Drysdale are firmly in the top four, particularly with Travis Sanheim back on his natural left side. Noah Juulsen almost certainly won’t be back, which will allow youngsters such as Jiricek and Oliver Bonk to clash in training camp. If it does come down to those two, Jiricek will likely have the inside edge, as he won’t be waiver-exempt next season. He’ll also likely get some NHL games in this season at some point, too.
If Ristolainen is moved this summer, the Flyers’ defense could be especially young, particularly on this side.
Left defense
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
$6.25 million
2030-31
$5.15 million
2029-30
$2.7 million
2027-28
RFA
—
UFA
—
RFA
—
$860k
2026-27
Sanheim and York aren’t going anywhere, but there’s potential for some offseason movement with the others. Adam Ginning is unlikely to be back. Nick Seeler’s no-trade clause will expire on July 1, and although he’s still an effective defenseman, perhaps Briere will try to create room for one of the younger left-shot blueliners to have a better chance at making the team in the fall.
Along those lines, the undersized Andrae could end up as the next Brink — a young player that’s expendable with others in the organization knocking on the door.
Goalie
Player2026-27 cap hitSigned through
$3.35 million
2026-27
RFA
—
RFA
—
$850k
2027-28
The Flyers clearly have their No. 1 in Dan Vladar, who will be eligible to sign a contract extension on July 1. It seems possible that the Flyers will want to lock him up for more than another season, as Vladar is a pending unrestricted free agent in 2027.
Samuel Ersson may have played his way off the team, which might force the Flyers to seek some help behind Vladar in the offseason, unless they think Aleksei Kolosov is NHL-ready. Perhaps Kolosov gets a chance in a few meaningless late March/early April games to show whether he’s improved, assuming the Flyers fall completely out of the playoff race.