On January 5, the Philadelphia Flyers locked up center Christian Dvorak with a five-year, $25.75 million extension. At first glance, the move raised a few eyebrows-Dvorak turns 30 next month, and in a league where aging curves can hit hard and fast, that kind of commitment comes with risk.
Still, the Flyers had some logic on their side. They were sitting at 21-12-7, one of the stronger records in the NHL, and Dvorak was trending toward career-best numbers.
Add in a thin free-agent market for centers, and the deal looked like a calculated bet on a player they believed was trending up.
But just days later, that bet started to look a lot shakier.
Following a 5-2 win over the Ducks immediately after the extension, the Flyers hit a wall-dropping six straight games, five of them in regulation. That kind of skid doesn’t just sting in the standings; it shifts the narrative.
Philadelphia, once comfortably in the playoff picture, is now on the outside looking in. And the timing of Dvorak’s extension, once justifiable, suddenly feels a lot more questionable.
This isn’t to say the deal is a disaster. Dvorak’s cap hit is manageable, and if things go south, there are ways to move on-either via trade or buyout.
But the bigger issue here is philosophical: in a league where every dollar counts, timing matters just as much as talent evaluation. And right now, the Flyers look like a team that jumped the gun.
Contrast that with how the Tampa Bay Lightning are handling a similar situation-and you start to see the difference in approach.
Just days after the Flyers inked Dvorak, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois made it clear they’re taking a wait-and-see approach with defenseman Darren Raddysh. And on paper, Raddysh is having the kind of season that would tempt most front offices to strike early.
Through 40 games, he’s tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in points, with 12 goals and 29 assists. He’s playing top-four minutes, contributing on both ends of the ice, and by advanced metrics-like Wins Above Replacement (WAR)-he’s been one of the most impactful blue-liners in the league.
But BriseBois isn’t rushing. His message was simple: let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.
It’s a measured approach, and it’s one that speaks to the Lightning’s confidence in their process. They’re not ignoring Raddysh’s breakout-they’re just not going to hand out a long-term deal based on a 40-game sample, even if that sample is elite. That kind of patience is a hallmark of a team that’s been to the mountaintop and knows how quickly fortunes can change in this league.
Now, to be fair, this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison. Raddysh is playing at a level that could command a much bigger contract than Dvorak’s.
And the Flyers’ deal, in isolation, isn’t franchise-crippling. But the contrast in approach is worth noting-especially for a Flyers team still trying to build a sustainable contender under GM Daniel Brière.
The NHL’s salary cap doesn’t leave much room for error. A few missteps on mid-tier contracts can pile up quickly and limit your flexibility when it matters most.
That’s why timing and discipline are so critical. The Lightning didn’t become perennial contenders by accident-they’ve built a culture of calculated decision-making, and it shows in how they handle situations like this.
For the Flyers, this stretch should be a reminder that patience can be a virtue. Dvorak might still prove to be a valuable piece, but locking him in midseason-before seeing how the team held up over the long haul-was a gamble. And right now, it’s not one that’s paying off.
If Philadelphia wants to take the next step, they’d do well to learn from the teams that have already been there. Being aggressive is fine.
Being smart about when to be aggressive? That’s how you build a winner.