The Flyers rewarded one of their own.
The Philadelphia Flyers have made some intriguing moves this offseason. On Sunday, though, they focused on one of their own internal free agents. The Flyers have signed 24-year-old defenseman Egor Zamula to a two-year contract, the team announced. Zamula will make $1.7 million each season through the life of this new deal.
Zamula represents the last of Philadelphia's restricted free agents that were left without a contract. Last week, they signed forward Bobby Brink to a two-year contract, as well. Brink will make $1.5 million each season through the 2026-27 campaign. Additionally, the Flyers signed top prospect Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko to their entry-level contracts.
Zamula made his NHL debut with Philadelphia last season. In 66 games, he scored five goals and 21 points for the Flyers. He helped his team make a surprising push for playoff contention. However, a late-season collapse saw Philadelphia fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024.
Egor Zamula had ups and downs with Flyers
Zamula made the Flyers roster out of training camp last season. And he was a major surprise for Philadelphia early in the season. He was playing solid defense while offering secondary offense from the point. That said, as the season went on, he began to struggle. His form dipped, and what was once a promising season became defined by inconsistency.
The 24-year-old was impressive on the power play this past campaign. Zamula scored two goals and nine points with the man advantage. However, looking beneath the counting stats, Zamula was largely unimpressive. He finished with 2.1 goals above replacement and 0.4 wins above replacement in 2023-24.
The 2024-25 season may prove to be an uphill battle for Zamula. The Flyers re-signed veteran defenseman Erik Johnson in NHL Free Agency to give them added depth. Fellow veteran rearguard Nick Seeler is also in the fold after a midseason contract extension. Additionally, they have younger defensemen such as Emil Andrae and Ronnie Attard who could take a step next year.
Zamula showed he can provide value to the Flyers in 2023-24. If he is given a chance, he could prove to be an inexpensive bottom-pairing defenseman for them. However, he has more than his fair share of competition ahead of him in training camp. The Flyers could certainly carry him as a depth option as need be. But Zamula will certainly put his best foot forward in training camp as he hopes to make the NHL roster once again in 2024-25.
