The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season, but they have made a bevy of moves to make sure they return to the postseason this upcoming year. This kicked off with the hiring of Rick Tocchet to be the new head coach. The latest move was bringing back restricted free agent Cam York, in what could be a positive move for the Flyers going forward.
It has been a busy NHL Free Agency period for Philly, but that started earlier in the summer. They re-signed both Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates before swinging a major move. The Flyers traded for Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks. The franchise would not be done there, bringing in Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladar, Noah Juulsen, Dennis Gilbert, and Lane Pederson in a flurry of additions early in free agency. Philly has just over $1 million in cap space now to work with and fill out their roster.
Their latest move keeps York in the mix. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He would spend two seasons with the University of Michigan before joining the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. After just eight games with the Phantoms, the American-born defender would make his NHL debut, playing in three games at the end of the 2020-21 season. He would have stints in the AHL in each of the next two campaigns before becoming a mainstay in the NHL during the 2023-24 season, playing in all 82 games that year.
The Flyers bring back a young, effective blue liner
York is coming off a slightly down season, but still had a solid year. He scored four goals with 13 assists, good for 17 points. Still, that was a decline from his 2023-24 campaign. He played just 66 games this past year, but was great in the previous season. That year, he played in all 82 games, scoring 10 times while also adding 13 assists. Still, there were some major positives of the defender’s game this past year. To begin with, he had 20:46 of ice time per game this past season. That was good for second on the team, just behind Travis Sanheim. It was also his second straight campaign playing 20 or more minutes per game.
He will also be back with his defensive partner from last year. York primarily plays on the left side of the defense, and will be on the top defensive rotation opposite Sanheim. Further, York also saw a drop in production, partially due to coaching decisions last year. He did struggle to come back from a shoulder injury early in the year, but also did not play much on the powerplay this past season. In his 2023-24 campaign, six of his 30 points came on the powerplay.
Advanced stats show that his production in 5v5 situations was similar to the previous campaign, while playing in 16 fewer games. In his prior season, he had 17 points in 5v5 situations, good for .21 points per game. This past year, 14 points in 66 games in 5v5 situations, a similar .21 points per game. He also doubled his takeaways in 5v5 situations while playing fewer games. With improving defensive play and a new coaching staff, York may be able to have his best season in 2025-26.
Final thoughts and grade on the Cam York contract
It looks like the Flyers got a great deal by locking up York for the foreseeable future. To begin with, he will turn 25 during the regular season, making him the youngest blueliner currently under contract, but Jamie Drysdale could be back as a restricted free agent. Further, Philly keeps their top defensive rotation together for the next five seasons, with Sanheim still having six years left on his deal. Meanwhile, he currently accounts for just 5.4 percent of the salary cap, but that percentage will shrink as the cap is projected to grow to over $113 million before the end of his deal.
For York, this is a significant raise for the blue liner. He was making just $1.6 million over the past two seasons, and now has five years of security and $25.75 million coming into the bank. He also gets to stay with the Flyers while playing for a new coaching staff. Last season, an altercation between York and then-head coach John Tortorella may have contributed to the dismissal of the coach. Considering his banishment from the powerplay last season, it is possible the defender returns to prior offensive production with a return to the top man advantage unit.
Now, York has financial security and will be just 29 years old when his contract ends. This means, in a solid five years, he could be in line for a major pay bump. Hopefully, for York, the five years include a chance to play in the playoffs as well, but regardless, he is now part of the core of the franchise moving forward.
