The Philadelphia Flyers looked to be headed back to the post season for much of the 2023-2024 season. Sure, it was a bit of a surprise for a team that recently committed to taking a step back to rebuild their roster but they put in a valiant effort at making the postseason. Are they really that close after a quick re-tool?
Roster Ruminations
NHL Roster
It may not be welcome news to Flyers fans, but the success the club had this season was likely an anomaly. They weren’t expected to push for a playoff spot as they had just started into a rebuild. Next year’s team profile paints a similar picture. The Flyers look like a team that will struggle to stay even at this season’s level next year.
Salary Cap Management
The Flyers cap sheet is a bit of a mixed bag, like we might expect for a team trying to reshape it’s core. Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim represent the old guard in Philadelphia and are signed to long term deals. So is Owen Tippett, acquired in the Claude Giroux trade, and he represents a new chapter for the Flyers. With only a few others with medium length term remaining, the Flyers have some cap flexibility to continue to reshape their roster.
Future Assets
The Flyers prospect pipeline is in very good shape for a team that hasn’t been openly rebuilding for long. Hockey Prospecting ranks the Flyers 3rd in the NHL for their prospect pool, which is headlined by Matvei Michkov. Michkov looks like nearly a surefire bet to become a star in the NHL assuming he comes over to North America and there are a few other exciting prospects in Philadelphia’s pipeline as well. Their draft pick profile for the next three drafts is also quite strong, with a success probability profile that’s been shifted well above baseline.
What’s Next?
Owen Tippet was the first of the new arrivals to land a long term deal in Philadelphia and the 25 year old looks like he’ll be a mainstay in the Flyers top six for a while. He’s not the only forward entering his prime that is making noise with his play either. Morgan Frost is 24, with one year left on his current deal and his play the past couple of seasons should garner some consideration for a longer term deal. It’s the start of a wave of younger talent hitting the Flyers forward ranks, with others like Bobby Brink starting to make an NHL impact as well.
The Flyers have some good young defensemen as well. Cam York, 23, and Jamie Drysdale, 22, are developing into capable NHL blue liners. The Flyers sale of veterans at the trade deadline despite their playoff push created more opportunity for them as well. They have Emil Andrae starting to get some NHL games and Oliver Bonk in the system as well, so there’s a decent number of young defensemen in the system that may become very capable NHLers.
The Flyers have plenty of young talent already in their system, which creates flexibility on how they handle the older players still on the roster. Couturier and Sanheim are locked up long enough that they’ll be difficult to move but there are a handful of other veterans that could be moved strategically over the next few seasons to convert aging assets into more help for their incoming cohort. Nick Seeler was extended rather than traded this deadline, but they did trade Sean Walker. Cam Atkinson has one year left on his deal and might be worth a decent return at next year’s deadline.
The Flyers have a relatively strong prospect pipeline in place. If they are strategic about moving out their older roster players to gradually make space on the NHL roster for their prospects, they can put their prospects in positions to succeed and develop while continuing to transition assets to a younger cohort.
