A handful of familiar names are still sitting on the NHL’s free-agent board, and a few of them used to wear Flyers orange.
Claude Giroux is the biggest one left. He remains unsigned after the opening wave of free agency, but Philadelphia has been tied to him heavily since he hit the market.
A return to the Flyers would be the kind of storyline that writes itself, and it’s easy to see why the club would be interested. Even now, Giroux still brings real value.
In 82 games last season with the Ottawa Senators, he scored 14 goals and finished with 49 points.
James van Riemsdyk is also still out there. At 37, he’s still producing enough offense to make sense for a team looking for a short-term add, and a one-year deal remains a possibility if he doesn’t decide to retire. Last season with the Detroit Red Wings, the 2007 second-overall pick put up 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games.
Cam Talbot is another former Flyer still searching for a new home, and he stands out as one of the more notable goalies available. The 39-year-old had a rough season in Detroit, finishing with an .883 save percentage and a 3.19 goals-against average in 34 games.
Still, there’s a track record there that teams can lean on. Talbot had a .900 save percentage or better in five of his previous six seasons before 2025-26, which could be enough to earn him at least a PTO.
The list of former Flyers still unsigned doesn’t stop there. Kevin Hayes, Rodrigo Abols, Luke Glendening, and Petr Mrazek are also still UFAs.
In Other News...
Flyers Nearly Landed The Franchise Scorer Fans Have Been Begging For
The Flyers have spent plenty of time trying to find the kind of elite scorer who can change the shape of a roster, and their front office has not been shy about swinging big when the opportunity looks right. That appetite showed up again in a recent report that Philadelphia was prepared to chase one of the leagues premier wingers if he ever became available, a pursuit that would have fit right into the organizations broader push to add top-end talent.
Instead, the market never opened the way the Flyers hoped, and the club moved on to another aggressive route by making an offer sheet to Leo Carlsson. It is another reminder that management, including assistant general manager Brent Flahr, is willing to be bold when it believes the payoff could be franchise-altering, even if the bigger prize slips away before the bidding ever really begins. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Are Stuck In A Franchise Shaping Wait With Anaheim
The Flyers long summer wait with Anaheim has turned into one of those front-office storylines that hangs over the league longer than anyone expects. With media voices like Elliotte Friedman suggesting the contract could ripple well beyond one roster, the intrigue has only grown, and the latest bit of context is that Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov landed a bigger deal than many anticipated, a development that may matter more in Philadelphia than it does in Orange County.
There are still four days left for Anaheim to decide whether to match, which keeps the Flyers in limbo while the Ducks sort through their own business. Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras have already filed for arbitration, adding another layer of offseason pressure for Anaheim, and for the Flyers the whole situation remains tied to a franchise-defining outcome that could shape how aggressively they can keep pushing this summer. [Read more 🡒]
Matvei Michkov Looks Determined To Change The Flyers Conversation
Matvei Michkovs second season in Philadelphia was a reminder that even elite talent can get knocked off course when health and preparation are disrupted. An injury limited the way he could train last summer, and the result was a tougher year than the Flyers expected from a player who arrived with so much offensive promise.
This offseason, Michkov has gone back to work in Perm, Russia, leaning into weightlifting and on-ice sessions as he tries to reset for the year ahead. He is also slated to take part in the NHL-KHL Match of the Year charity game, another sign that he is staying active and pushing toward a cleaner, more complete preparation for the next Flyers season. [Read more 🡒]