Philadelphia Flyers Eligible Tender Offered to 4 of 10 Restricted Free Agents – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Brière, has already entered the trade market twice this season, and like the rest of the league, he did his writing last weekend. Now, the sights are set on free agency, with the first big deadline coming Monday at 5pm Eastern, when there should be qualifying offers.

While the NHL’s salary cap has been tight for the past decade, some legitimately good players have been able to slip through the cracks to unrestricted free agency. Dylan Strome may be the face of the organization, ineligible for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022 after a 48-point season, he ended up posting his career-high four seasons since leaving for the Washington Capitals, increasing his per-game rate in 2024-25.

Maybe that’s yet to happen – Matias Maccelli was non-tendered by the Toronto Maple Leafs after a 39-point campaign and two seasons removed from that one 57-point campaign with the Arizona Coyotes. But it feels so small now. Fortunately for the Flyers, they didn’t have too many tough decisions to make. But they checked a few boxes for building a squad for next season.

Who Was Eligible

The Flyers have the top two restricted free agents on the market this summer. Trevor Zegras’ 67-point rebounding debut season in Philadelphia tied him for the fourth-highest RFA on the market. The Flyers’ marquee acquisition last season is at the forefront of the news and, although this time, it should be more about staying put than going to a new location.

Among defensemen, only Alexander Nikishin has outplayed Jamie Drysdale’s 32 points, and only one. Nikishin’s asking contract could be huge (reportedly around $8 million, per Athletic‘s Chris Johnston) that makes Carolina Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky trade him, especially if they can sign John Carlson after trading his UFA rights (from “NHL offseason trade board 6.0: Wheeling and dealing continues after busy draft,” AthleticJune 29, 2026).

Nikishin has the Cup ring, so he has something extra. But Drysdale is no slouch, surpassing his previous career-high in average ice time per 1:30 and playing as a top-four defenseman. He scored a career-best eight goals, five after the start of February, and two more in the playoffs.

Less proven are the other two players the Flyers chose to stick around. Nikita Grebenkin was decent in his first extended NHL stint, posting 14 points in 55 games with six shutouts. He does pop up, but his short-term future is in question after missing the team’s last 21 games (including the playoffs), and Brière isn’t sure the midfielder will be healthy heading into training camp. But he’s just 23 years old and was the most important part of the Scott Laughton trade last March.

His 62-game NHL career makes him look like a veteran compared to defenseman Hunter McDonald. The sixth-round pick is currently tied with Hall of Famer Paul Kariya for 78th in points per game in NHL history (along with Bill Armstrong, Risto Jalo and Egor Korshkov, among others) after getting an assist in his NHL debut in Game 82 this season. All jokes aside, offense is not McDonald’s game, and with the same player joining the pipeline in first rounder Maxim Sokolovskii, it’s time to put it down or shut up.

Grebenkin and (predominantly) McDonald could accept their qualifying offers, which would be a one-year contract for just under $900,000. But this move buys time for the Flyers’ front office to continue negotiating with them, and, more importantly, Zegras and Drysdale, on any kind of contract their hearts desire. All but Grebenkin are eligible for compensation, the only one not eligible for an offer sheet. But the Flyers would much rather do things outside of that lane.

Who Wasn’t Worthy

As you’d expect, the Flyers aren’t saying goodbye to anyone important. In fact, none of their six RFAs are ineligible for 2025-26, although two have NHL experience, and four were players Brière traded during the offseason.

Philip Tomasino is the only player who fits both categories. A first-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2019, Tomasino was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins two seasons ago, then sent to the Flyers for Egor Zamula (who also did not receive a qualifying offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who he signed with after terminating both of his contracts). Tomasino has three 20-point NHL seasons and has been productive for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but not enough to extend his appearances.

The Flyers actually added a Michigan State Spartan late in the season each of the past two years, but the 2025 signing of undrafted free agent Karsen Dorwart was not as memorable as Porter Martone’s debut, to say the least. Dorwart played five games for the Flyers last season but was less successful with the Phantoms, recording fewer points in 70 games than Tomasino did in 38. Although this was his first pro season, he is only a year younger than him and clearly did not show enough to stay there either.

The trade of a second-round pick in October did not produce a long-term impact. The Flyers acquired Christian Kyrou from the Dallas Stars for Samu Tuomaala. While it’s always interesting when you trade for a right-handed defenseman with some pedigree, Kyrou has had an uphill battle for even a spot on the depth chart.

He scored at a solid clip for the Phantoms, scoring 34 points in 55 games as the defense’s leading scorer, which is a bump in production — not enough of one, apparently. Tuomaala was not eligible by Dallas, either.

Another minor trade involved here was the Seattle Kraken’s acquisition of Tucker Robertson for JR Avon, who Seattle re-signed on Monday. His profile is similar to Dorwart’s, and ultimately, so is his contract situation. Brett Harrison was part of a two-for-two trade of minor leaguers with the Boston Bruins, recording 21 points for both American Hockey League affiliates.

Artem Guryev was part of an agreement with the San Jose Sharks to release the contract of Ryan Ellis. That trade gave the Flyers a useful NHL piece, but it was Carl Grundstrom, who may also leave the organization as an unrestricted free agent (UFA).

What Happens Now?

Tomasino, Dorwart, Kyrou, Robertson, Harrison and Guryev are set to become UFAs on July 1. It’s ridiculously rare to see players like them re-sign with their first team; for example, that’s what Nils Lundkvist did with the Stars in 2024. But there is no obligation on either side to reunite.

Are there any other ineligible RFAs the Flyers should target? Not really. There are only four players who have not scored more than 20 points: Maccelli, Philipp Kurashev of the San Jose Sharks, Jonathan Berggren of the St. Louis Blues… and old friend Bobby Brink, who was healthy in six of the ten playoff games with the Minnesota Wild. While the reunion could have some positive vibes, neither of those feels like they could potentially unseat a top-heavy Flyers team that already has plenty of competition for its roster spots.