About a month from today, the Philadelphia Flyers will likely have set a franchise record for consecutive playoff misses: six, dating back to 2020–21.
Being in a self-dubbed rebuild and all, that’s kind of the expectation. But with how this season has gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team lose sight of the plan and go all-in on free agency this summer.
While tempting, the Flyers must avoid signing veterans long-term in the upcoming free agent class. Otherwise, they risk devastating setbacks.
Why the Flyers Might Look to Free Agency
According to Hockey Stats, the Flyers’ playoff odds have reached single digits—just 9%. But record-wise, you could see why management would think they’re close. At 31–23–12, that’s a 92-point pace, which is good enough for the postseason a lot of the time. Plus, key forward Tyson Foerster has been out of the lineup due to injury for months.
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The Flyers have tons of money available to them in the summer. If that money is spent on win-now players in free agency, it’s easy to envision a borderline playoff team now getting over that hump in 2026–27.
Additionally, making the playoffs could act as a shield from criticism. Some people have soured on management this season, and head coach Rick Tocchet’s popularity has taken a hit. If the drought ends, anybody questioning the team’s direction can easily be tuned out.
Flyers’ Potential Targets
A once great free agent class has lost its luster due to teams re-upping their stars. But there are some intriguing players available who could help get the Flyers back into the postseason.
Should he hit the market, a top target for Philadelphia could be Charlie Coyle. The 34-year-old center has 16 goals and 35 assists in 66 games this season, putting him on pace for 63 points. Averaging close to 18 minutes a night, he’d immediately improve the Flyers’ most lacking position group.
For similar reasons, another player on their radar could be Erik Haula. The Nashville Predators are in the process of getting younger, and they’ll undergo a general manager switch in the coming months, so the 34-year-old center may not re-sign. With 31 points in 66 games on 16:44 of average ice time, he’d be a valuable addition to the Flyers’ middle six.
Shifting gears, a veteran defenseman might be in their sights. Luckily for them, the Anaheim Ducks have three right-shot blueliners expiring this summer: John Carlson, Radko Gudas, and Jacob Trouba. I’m no insider, but I would assume that at least one of them makes it to free agency—probably either Gudas or Trouba—and if so, the Orange and Black could look to scoop them up.
Why the Flyers Must Avoid Giving Long-Term Contracts to Veterans
All of the players I named above are over the age of 30 and thus unlikely to sign for too long. But seeing as Christian Dvorak, 30 years old, got a five-year extension from the Flyers back in January, anything is possible. Repeating this behavior is the type of thing that they have to avoid.
A couple of months ago, I analyzed the Flyers’ future and determined that their Stanley Cup window should open around 2029–30. That’s when you can reasonably expect them to start contending for championships.
But by signing a bunch of veterans to long-term contracts today, they might actually be pushing that date back. While the salary cap is expected to rise substantially over the next few seasons, the Edmonton Oilers taught us that unwise spending can be detrimental. Having a bunch of players in their mid-30s under contract because you were impatient in the middle of a rebuild certainly qualifies as “unwise spending.”
If the Flyers are serious about winning the Stanley Cup someday, they’ll hold off on signing high-risk, low-reward contracts in free agency. The timeline doesn’t make sense.
