The Flyers are running out of runway with two of their biggest restricted free agents.
Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras have both elected salary arbitration, and their hearing dates are now locked in: Drysdale on Monday, July 20, and Zegras on Wednesday, July 22. That gives Philadelphia just over a week to get something done before the process turns ugly.
Those are the first two available arbitration dates, which means the Flyers are staring at the last real chance to hammer out new deals before the hearings begin. And while arbitration can still be avoided - last year, none of the 11 players who filed actually ended up hearing a case - the clock is clearly ticking now.
Both players are in line for major raises from the contracts they played under in Anaheim. Zegras carried a $5.75-million AAV, while Drysdale was at $2.3 million, and those deals were always bridge contracts meant to get them on the ice and move things forward. Now the Flyers have to decide whether they want to keep either player on a short-term path to unrestricted free agency or commit to something longer and more expensive.
Evolving-Hockey projects Zegras for a four-year deal at $7.58 million annually and Drysdale for a five-year contract at $6.15 million per year. But those numbers were set before the latest wave of inflated NHL deals, so there’s room for the price to climb.
That matters because both players are set to reach unrestricted free agency in 2028, still very young by open-market standards. If Philadelphia wants to buy up those extra years, it’s going to cost real money. A combined cap hit around $15 million would not be shocking if both land four-year deals or longer.
There’s also the question of whether the Leo Carlsson offer sheet changed the mood here. The Flyers were willing to go to $18 million a year for one 21-year-old center, and after that failed, it’s fair to wonder whether Zegras and Drysdale might look at the market differently. At the same time, Tyson Foerster’s eight-year deal at a very reasonable $7.1-million AAV gives the Flyers another internal number to point to if they’re trying to keep the roster together.
If either player actually reaches an arbitration hearing, the situation gets more uncomfortable. The Flyers would have to argue against their own player, pointing out flaws and pushing the value down.
And because both hearings were player-elected, Philadelphia would still get to choose whether the eventual award becomes a one- or two-year contract. Given how close both are to unrestricted free agency, a one-year result would make the most sense if it gets that far.
For now, though, the bigger story is simple: the Flyers have a week to get Zegras and Drysdale signed before the calendar pushes them toward arbitration.
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For Flyers fans keeping an eye on the pipeline, KJ Sauers path is starting to come into focus as well. The prospect has committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2027-28 season, which means he is set to spend this coming year with WHL Edmonton before the college route begins, another reminder that Philadelphias future watch extends well beyond the NHL roster. [Read more 🡒]