Tyson Foerster is headed into Flyers training camp fully healthy, and Danny Brière made it clear Tuesday that Philadelphia sees him as a long-term pillar, not just another young player on the rise.
“We think the world of him,” Brière said while speaking to the media ahead of camp at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. “We think he's gonna be a leader for many years to come for us.
You just know that, too, when you talk to other teams, when you reach out about certain players. One of the first names that always comes up going the other way, teams want Tyson.
So it tells you a lot, too, on that front what other teams think of him.”
That belief showed up in a major way back in July, when Foerster signed an eight-year, $56.8 million extension worth $7.1 million per season. The deal locked him in as part of the Flyers’ core a full year before he would have returned to restricted free agency.
For Philadelphia, the decision was straightforward. Foerster has already put together back-to-back seasons of 20 and 25 goals in his first two full NHL campaigns, and he’s done it while carving out a reputation as a dependable two-way checking forward.
Last season turned into a test of how much he could handle. An elbow injury from his run with Team Canada at IIHF Worlds led to surgery over the summer and was initially expected to cost him part of the schedule. Instead, Foerster got back in time for opening night and, for a stretch, looked like the Flyers’ best player and top scorer.
Then another injury hit in December, along with surgery on the same arm, and that threatened to wipe out his season. If that midseason setback never happens, the conversation around him likely looks very different - maybe even a high-30s or 40-goal year, plus the kind of defensive impact teams build around.
Even with all that, Foerster still made it back for the Flyers’ playoff push and delivered the moment that helped send them there: the deciding shootout goal in Game 81 against Carolina.
His offense wasn’t the same once the playoffs began, but he still gave Philadelphia strong work along the boards and reliable defense while logging heavy minutes before the eventual champion Hurricanes swept the Flyers in the second round.
That’s why Brière and the organization moved quickly to secure him for the long haul. Foerster, now 24, fits what the Flyers are building, and he’s already become one of the quieter faces of a team that has moved from rebuilding into playoff contention.
The expectation now is that he keeps growing into that role - and maybe one day wears a letter, too.
“I think it shows you the confidence that we have in him, signing him to an eight-year extension,” Brière said. “I mean, I think that says it all in how much we think of him.”
“He's a smart player that can help you on both sides of the ice,” the GM continued. 'He's got leadership abilities as well.
You know, pretty soon, if he's not already, he's gonna be part of that leadership group. I expect big things moving forward.”
And maybe, eventually, fewer calls from other teams asking about him, too.
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