The Flyers are suddenly the odd team out in Philadelphia.
With LeBron James officially signing with the 76ers on Friday, the city’s other major teams now all have their headline stars - and the Flyers still don’t. James, 41, agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with a $4 million salary, the veteran minimum, as he goes after one more run at an NBA title.
That move puts Philadelphia in even sharper focus as a destination for big-name talent. James joins a list that already includes the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley and the Phillies’ Bryce Harper, and the Flyers have been left watching from the outside.
They’ve tried to get in that game. This offseason, the Flyers had interest in Zach Werenski, Darnell Nurse, Carlsson, John Carlson, Bowen Byram, Claude Giroux, and Mason McTavish. Of that group, Werenski was the only one with anything close to James’ kind of on-ice impact, and he’s staying in Columbus for now.
So while the Eagles and 76ers keep landing the players they target, the Flyers are still searching for that breakthrough.
That’s what makes the comparison sting. The Eagles remain the Eagles, even without A.J.
Brown, and the Phillies are sitting second in the NL East behind Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Zack Wheeler. Meanwhile, the Flyers are coming off their first playoff appearance in six years, but the roster hasn’t been transformed enough to make that feel like the start of something bigger.
Joseph Woll is a clear upgrade on Sam Ersson, but health is part of the equation, and he’s also the backup behind Dan Vladar. Noel Acciari gives them help in the bottom six, though at 34, he’s not the kind of addition that changes the whole picture.
The Flyers can keep leaning into patience and youth, and that probably is the right path. But around the city, the standard has been set by teams that went out and got their stars.
The Eagles and 76ers made the moves they wanted. The Flyers haven’t gotten theirs over the finish line.
For now, that leaves them needing development more than a splash. Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone are the names that matter most in that future, unless Connor McDavid ever becomes available.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Still Have One Adam Fantilli Question Hanging Over Them
The Blue Jackets have already checked off a couple of their offseason boxes by re-signing Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger, but the bigger piece of business remains in the middle of the ice. Contract talks with Adam Fantilli are paused for the moment, with the sides expected to pick things back up next week after some earlier progress, leaving Columbus with one of its most important negotiations still unresolved as the summer moves along.
Fantillis situation matters because he is part of the core the Blue Jackets are trying to lock in, and there has at least been enough movement to suggest a deal is still within reach. For Flyers fans keeping an eye on the broader Eastern Conference picture, it is another reminder that Columbus is working through its own roster priorities while a few other notable hockey names are also sorting out their next steps, from KJ Sauers path toward Minnesota to Brandon Scanlins new stop in Hamilton. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Suddenly Have A Shot At The Franchise-Changing Star
Philadelphia has spent enough time watching other teams land the sports biggest names to know how quickly a franchise can change when the right star becomes available. The Flyers are trying to put themselves in that same conversation under Danny Briere and Keith Jones, with a front office that has made it clear it wants to use cap space as a weapon rather than a constraint.
That approach already has shown up in the way the Flyers have chased elite talent, from an offer sheet for Leo Carlsson that Anaheim matched to their willingness to be in the mix for Kirill Kaprizov this summer. It is the kind of posture that keeps a team relevant in the rare moments when a true franchise-altering player might actually reach the market, and it is why the idea of Philadelphia being ready for the next great opening feels less far-fetched than it used to. [Read more 🡒]