The Flyers trimmed their restricted-free-agent list down to four, and the six names left off the qualifying-offer sheet don’t change much about the organization’s outlook.
Philadelphia said before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. Eastern deadline that it was extending qualifying offers to Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Nikita Grebenkin and Hunter McDonald.
Reports indicated the club was not doing the same for Karsen Dorwart, Christian Kyrou, Tucker Robertson, Brett Harrison, Artem Guryev and Phil Tomasino, which means those six will become unrestricted free agents. Players can’t accept qualifying offers until after July 1.
For the Flyers, the move is mostly housekeeping. Dorwart, signed by Philadelphia on March 30, 2025, appeared in five games for the NHL club in 2024-25 and did not record a point. He then spent all of 2025-26 with Lehigh Valley, finishing with 10 goals and 24 points in 70 games.
Kyrou never played for Philadelphia after arriving from Dallas in the trade that sent Sami Tuomaala to the Stars last October. On the Phantoms’ blue line, he put up 10 goals and 24 assists for 34 points in 55 games.
Robertson came over from Seattle last September in a deal that sent J.R. Avon the other way, but he never separated himself in Lehigh Valley’s forward mix. He scored 13 goals and totaled 28 points in 63 games, and he remained low on the depth chart.
Harrison was part of the deadline deal with Boston that brought him and Jackson Edward to Philadelphia while Alexis Gendron and Massimo Rizzo went to the Bruins. In 12 games for the Phantoms, Harrison had two goals, two assists and four points.
Guryev’s path was split between Lehigh Valley and Reading. The defenseman was one of the pieces San Jose sent to Philadelphia with Carl Grundstrom, along with a 2026 sixth-round draft pick and Ryan Ellis and his contract. Guryev played six games for the Phantoms and spent most of his time in the ECHL.
Tomasino, acquired on New Year’s Eve from Pittsburgh for Egor Zamula, produced 26 points in 38 games with Lehigh Valley, scoring seven goals and adding 19 assists.
Not qualifying Kyrou may raise some eyebrows, but the rest of the decisions fit the Flyers’ bigger picture. Those players would have needed to show more to secure spots in the organization, especially with other young talent waiting for an opening.
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