The Philadelphia Flyers have tendered qualifying offers to two players within the organization as they gear up for free agency this week.
Forward Bobby Brink and defenseman Egor Zamula were tendered qualifying offers by the Flyers on Sunday, meaning the Flyers keep their signing rights. Minor league defensemen Mason Millman and Will Zmolek were not qualified by the team and they will become unrestricted free agents on Monday.
Brink and Zamula are both arbitration eligible. Brink’s qualifying offer is just $874,125 while Zamula’s is $813,750. Brink would be more likelier to elect arbitration since his QO is a decrease from his $925,000 cap hit and $1,137,500 annual salary.
Brink recorded 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 57 games with the Flyers, and he also averaged a point per game with AHL Lehigh Valley (13 – 7g, 6a) in the regular season to accompany four assists in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Zamula racked up 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 66 games, good for fourth on the team in scoring among defensemen. He scored his first NHL goal on October 17th, 2023 against the Vancouver Canucks, which stood as the game-winner in a 2-0 home victory.
General manager Daniel Brière was asked about planning to qualify his RFAs at his press conference on June 20th, stating,
“All of them on the Flyers, yes. That’s the plan. Obviously the one caveat to that is Carter Hart. We’re still waiting from guidance from the NHL on that.”
The most notable omission from the qualified players was Hart, who will also become a UFA on Monday. The disgraced goaltender was left without an offer after being charged with sexual assault in the aftermath of the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual abuse scandal. Hart was one of five players allegedly involved in an attack against a woman following a Hockey Canada-sanctioned event at a London, Ontario hotel alongside Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, and Alex Formenton.
No date for a trial has been set yet, but the case will be back in criminal assignment court on August 13th.
It was mentioned that NHL commissioner and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly publicly said it would be up to the teams on what to do, to which Brière responded,
“I did see that, but we haven’t received any guidance. That was said publicly. We haven’t been told to do that yet, so we’re still waiting for guidance from them as far as what we can do and what it is and how it works out.”
Brière admitted there was still a lot of questions and concerns on things like cap relief and roster status should they tender him an offer to simply hold his rights.
“That’s all part of it, that’s all part of it. What we’re allowed to do, if there’s relief, if there’s rights, how it works for rights in the future. So there’s a lot of questions surrounding the situation that we’re hoping to have a little more direction on.”
It seems that the Flyers received their answer and decided to just cut ties with Hart and rid themselves of this mess.
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