The Flyers have taken another step toward locking down their 2025-26 picture, and the latest move came with one of their more intriguing young forwards.
Nikita Grebenkin is back in the fold after Philadelphia agreed to a two-year, $2.2 million contract with the 23-year-old winger, carrying a $1.1 million AAV. The deal finally closes out a drawn-out process for the Flyers, who had been waiting on their remaining restricted free agent.
Grebenkin’s negotiation ended up being pretty clean once it got moving. He recently changed representation, moving from Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein to Adel Mansurov of Newport Sports, who handled the deal with Philadelphia.
After an injury slowed his path, the Flyers had filled those minutes with veterans Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway, while Denver Barkey and Alex Bump have since pushed themselves into the conversation. Noel Acciari also landed a decent payday in free agency with his $2.8 million cap hit, and Tyson Foerster is healthy again.
That leaves Grebenkin with work to do if he wants to carve out consistent ice time next season and beyond.
With Grebenkin signed, the Flyers have just one restricted free agent left: defenseman Hunter McDonald.
McDonald, 24, got his first NHL look in the Flyers’ season finale against the Montreal Canadiens last year. In his debut, the 6-foot-4 defenseman picked up an assist, finished with 15:11 of ice time, logged a +3 rating and added four penalty minutes.
Philadelphia clearly still likes what it sees in him, too. He traveled with the team as a ringer in case of injury last season, even though they never had to call him into action.
Still, the clock is ticking a bit. McDonald turns 25 late next season, and the window to establish himself as an NHL player is shrinking.
The Flyers’ defensive depth chart could also keep shifting. Nick Seeler no longer has trade protection, Simon Benoit is under contract for only one more year, and Rasmus Ristolainen is in the same spot. Ristolainen has long been viewed as a trade candidate and remains an asset the Flyers could use if the right offer comes along.
As with Grebenkin, the McDonald situation doesn’t appear likely to drag on forever. Both sides will have their case for what an NHL fit looks like, but the Flyers have now moved much closer to having their roster set before training camp opens next month.
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One name has emerged as a particularly intriguing fit in that conversation, especially for a team that can always use more edge and physical presence on defense. The broader backdrop is also encouraging for Philadelphia, with the organization pointing to areas of strength and fresh additions like Joseph Woll, but the trade speculation suggests the Flyers are still very much in the market for a certain kind of defender as contract talks and other offseason moves continue to sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Gill Faces One Big Test In Flyers Development Plan
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Now the next step is getting a longer, cleaner look at him. Gill is slated to move into the Lehigh Valley Phantoms mix, where Philadelphia will have a much better read on how his game translates against tougher competition and how well his body holds up under a heavier pro workload. For a prospect whose development has already been tested once, the coming season is about more than just points - it is about proving he can stay on the ice and keep building. [Read more 🡒]