With the start of training camp about a month away and the regular season getting a little bit closer every day, the Flyers roster will feature a few new faces, a few veterans and a few that are still getting used to being a Philadelphia Flyer. But given how open Flyers general manager Danny Briere has been to moving players (Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Andrei Kuzmenko and Erik Johnson to name a few), it’s quite conceivable that those taking to the ice on opening night against the Panthers might not see the regular season finish line when the Flyers wrap up the 82-game slate against Montreal on April 14.
Ideally, the Flyers are healthy, comfortably in a playoff spot and have no real glaring holes to fix when the trade deadline arrives. In short, maybe they are adding or tinkering with the roster. One can hope. However, it will probably be a dog fight to get to the post-season. And if Briere still is looking at the big picture to improve but still gather picks and prospects, and the Flyers are far on the outside looking in, then it’s logical to think some Flyers will be gone at the deadline. Here then, in no particular order, are six Flyers (some on expiring contracts, some not) who might be with a new NHL club before Philadelphia’s season ends.
Nic Deslauriers
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Nic Deslauriers would be on this list. Deslauriers signed a four-year, $7 million contract on July 13, 2022 so this year will mark the end of that contract. As well, his cap hit ($1.75 million) is actually $250,000 more than what his salary will be this upcoming season, another little perk some teams might find a little more enticing. The enforcer played 31 games in 2024-25 for the Flyers, a far cry from the 80 games he played in the first year of the contract. The 31 games was also the fewest he’s played in a season since first entering the league when he played 17 games for Buffalo back in 2013-14.
It’s doubtful any contending team would need an aging fourth-liner with a slew of fights under his belt to help get them over the top. However, with an expiring contract, and with the cap hit even smaller considering there will be about 20 to 25 games left in the season around trade deadline should a new team acquire him, Deslauriers could be sent to a team that needs a little toughness or has a bottom six severely banged up. The winger wouldn’t get a lot in return, but it’s another roster spot that could be made for someone far more integral to the future than the player who has 19 points in 171 games with Philadelphia.
Garnet Hathaway
As Hathaway begins the first-year of his two-year deal that wasn’t much different than the first two-year deal he signed with Philadelphia (a paltry $25,000 raise from the first contract to the second), he still remains one of the better pests in the Eastern Conference if not the National Hockey League. Hathaway avoided lingering concussion issues (knock on wood) after getting nailed in a game against Pittsburgh. He played 67 games, scoring 10 times and adding 11 assists for 21 points.
The fourth-liner turns 34 this coming November and could be a more attractive piece to move around the deadline (or before) if he continues doing what he’s done his career. Namely, driving the opposition nutty with his after-the-whistle tussles. The contract comes with a $1.5 million signing bonus in 2025-26, meaning he’ll get $2.7 million of the $4.8 he’s owed this coming season. So, again, the contract is loaded a little more on this first year than the second year. Hathaway, if healthy, remains a very useful forward in a team’s bottom six. He’s also managed to be a thorn in the side of the Panthers the past few seasons, scoring meaningful goals a few times.
The return for Hathaway wouldn’t be a blockbuster, but it could result in another third-round or mid-round draft pick and a possible prospect in return. Like Briere has said from day one, the deal would have to make sense in order for it to happen. But again, teams looking for the little edge could be fishing around.
Ivan Fedotov
Hear me out. Please. Agreed, who in the name of hayzoos would believe Ivan Fedotov could help a team that needs goaltending? He was at best bad most of the games he appeared in, although once in a while he delivered a good game. Fedotov is most likely playing his final season as a Flyer. Whether he remains in the NHL, is relegated to the AHL with another organization, or simply realizes he misses the KHL and all the comforts of it, Fedotov is probably not long for Philadelphia. He might last longer with the Flyers than Aleksei Kolosov, but Kolosov will remain a Restricted Free Agent (at $925,000 this season) at the conclusion of 2025-26. When Fedotov’s contract is done, he’s done.
The Flyers could simply sweeten the deal by retaining the remainder of his contract, especially considering the rise in the salary cap. It would be Fletcher-esque insanity if the team decided to buy him out with a year remaining. After all, this is the final year for Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes and Cam Atkinson still being on the books. No need to add another contract going into 2026-27.
Fedotov, unless Vladar and/or Ersson run into injuries, is probably going to see more time in the American Hockey League than Philadelphia. If any NHL team ran into a rash of goaltending mishaps or injuries, Fedotov could be seen by some team as a temporary stopgap, keeping an organization’s young goaltenders from having a trial by fire when they’re simply not ready. Or some other general manager might be willing to take a short-term risk on a goaltender who clearly didn’t have a great 2024-25. Again, it’s a longshot, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility, particularly with the cap allowing some teams a little more flexibility.
Christian Dvorak
Christian Dvorak should be a help, adding a bit more depth down the middle. Some pooh-poohed the cost it took to land him. But with the contract being a season, is it really that big of a mistake? Not really. If Dvorak heats up and has a better-than-expected season, he could be helping to steer the Flyers into territory that was taken for granted or assumed for decades: the playoffs. Keeping him for possible playoff action wouldn’t be a miscue as the goal this year seems to be getting better. However, if the Flyers find themselves needing to leap a lot of teams or having to start scoreboard-watching in late January just to have a chance at a run to the finish, then Dvorak should be put on the block. Dvorak would be coveted by any number of teams wanting to provide depth for the post-season.
Again, the Flyers could retain to help seal the deal, as it would be over at season’s end. The return wouldn’t be huge as again you’re talking about a bottom-six forward for the most part. Ideally, Dvorak has a surprisingly good year, and the Flyers need an epic collapse to miss. If that’s the case, Dvorak is probably staying put until the end of the year. Unlike the contracts that Deslauriers and Hathaway have, making $5.4 million workable might be a little trickier. But if Briere’s past moves are any indication, it’s doable. A team that hasn’t seen Dvorak play yet wouldn’t be thinking of trading him yet. However, if Dvorak’s year is above-average, but the team’s play is still not up to snuff, it could start a subtle bidding war between two or more teams. Centers don’t grow on trees after all, hence the reason Briere spent what he did on Dvorak. A two-year contract would’ve been hard to explain at that cap hit, even with a rising floor and ceiling. What’s evident is Dvorak fills a need for now. If that need isn’t resolved by him, then he’ll be gone. Or should be.
Owen Tippett
Perhaps the biggest possible albatross contractually not belonging to Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett’s season last year was underwhelming. His season was all of 20 goals, far fewer than the 30 to possible 35 many expected last October. Tippett was also at a loss after the season, simply unaware he was taking a considerably smaller amount of shots (roughly 100) than he had in 2023-24. Tippett (and particularly the Flyers) are hoping the 20 goals was a blip on the radar, and that he’ll average 30 or more goals during the remaining seven years of his contract.
Tippett’s contract is cheaper than Couturier’s by a little bit ($1.55 million) but it’s also longer by a little bit (seven years versus five for Couturier). He also will see the second of two consecutive $5 million signing bonuses this season (he also got $5 million in year one) for a total salary this season of $7.5 million. Tippett’s deal is also one where if the Flyers do something with him, it will probably be this season. From 2026-27 and the following three seasons after that, he has a modified No Trade Clause (consisting of 10 teams). So any possible trade would be easier to execute this year than in the following seasons. Of course, Tippett could simply waive his clause and be on the move anyway. Yet it’s crucial Tippett delivers, both in assuming the Flyers keep him but also in the possibility he is trade bait. As well, during two of those four seasons with the modified No Trade Clause (2027-28 and 2028-29) he’ll have a $3 million signing bonus kick in each year.
A 15-goal year or injury-plagued season would be a nightmare scenario for Philadelphia. His trade value would diminish and the Flyers would have to eat a lot of salary over a lot of years to make any movement more palatable. Again, an increasing cap makes things a little easier to swallow, even on some iffy contracts. But if Philadelphia thinks of making a move on Tippett, it would have to be this season. And Tippett would have to deliver a decent to strong season production-wise. Perhaps the new additions this summer result in Tippett getting streaky in a good way and everything works out. But if there ever was a season to move Owen Tippett, this is the year!
What the return would be for Tippett varies of course depending on what he does or what a team believes he’s capable of doing. Obviously one or two first-round picks (particularly if some salary was retained) and a prospect (or two) would probably do it. Ideally, Tippett has a career year and he becomes another piece moving forward in Philadelphia.
Rasmus Ristolainen
The easy sixth pick would be Aleksei Kolosov. But seriously, who the hell would want him? Briere’s not tying a first-rounder to dump Kolosov. So let’s look at the big injury-prone Finnish defender. Rasmus Ristolainen has two years left at $5.1 million per year. A ruptured right triceps tendon has now happened twice, with surgeries both times to resolve the issue. Ristolainen could be nearing Ryan Ellis territory, put on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) and simply see his career end with the remaining $10.2 million in his pockets. In short, this one will take a miracle to see happen.
There was a window last season where it could’ve. Ristolainen was looking like a big, burly and brain-cramp free defenseman. He didn’t score a lot. But he cleared people and pucks quickly and effectively. The idea of him finally seeing playoff action with a trade seemed likely, making a lot of people happy: Ristolainen sees the playoffs, the Flyers see another Fletcher contract off their books. Alas, the blueliner enters 2025-26 with maybe more questions than answers. The timeline is unknown for his return, making a trade for an injured player remote. Added to that is the fact Ristolainen’s cap hit is not small, so the Flyers would probably retain. A buyout is worse case scenario, adding two additional years to a problem that is two seasons away from ending.
We hope Ristolainen has a bounce back season whenever he returns. And if he does we certainly hope Briere is able to pull the trigger and get him out of town.
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