Well, the Philadelphia Flyers did it.
In most likely their last significant move of the offseason, the Flyers extended fan favorite Travis Konecny to an 8yr/$70mil deal of $8.75mil/AAV. After weeks of speculation on his future in Philadelphia, the Flyers tied up the last loose end they had dangling from this very boring offseason.
Fans are already spiraling and fighting on social media about what this extension means. Some question how it fits the timeline, not to mention an overall interrogation of Daniel Briere and his plans to rebuild.
In the middle of all this bickering and imploding, I started to wonder what his long-term rebuild plan was, too. After years of being told that the team is “retooling,” and not “rebuilding,” it is easy to become skeptical of any move the front office makes. It does not matter who the general manager was. Flyers fans have, more or less, been sold beachfront property in Billings, MT for the past few years.
With this extension for Konecny, the lack of trades and signings this offseason, and the selection of Jett Luchanko over Zeev Buium in the 2024 NHL Draft, some fans have already started to give up on Briere and his vision for the future of this franchise.
Instead of gut reacting to the extension, let us all take a deep breath and a step back. Take a look at what the Flyers have available asset-wise before imploding.
There is a famous saying that perfectly describes the situation most Flyers fans are putting themselves in right now:
“Can’t see the forest for the trees.”
What does that mean, and why is it relevant? Well, the saying means when you are standing too close to something (like a tree) you can only see that, and you lack the broader perspective; not able to see the big picture (the forest). That is what I fear is going on right now with the fanbase.
The fanbase is too focused on a tree (the Konecny extension) instead of the forest (a plethora of picks and open cap space over the next two summers, along with one of the younger rosters in the NHL).
At the beginning of this rebuild, Briere said this would not be an overnight fix. Unfortunately, for the fans that were #TeamTank, the Flyers decided to be in a playoff spot for almost all of last season, unlike most rebuilds, putting a different kind of pressure on them they otherwise would not have had.
That is not a bad thing. Identifying the younger players who showed up when things started to get tight is critical when deciding who should remain when it is not just a playoff race, but the actual playoffs.
What does this all mean?
When you think about what the rebuild plan could be from Briere, the direction he is heading becomes painfully obvious after about five minutes. The Flyers are one or two offseasons away from possibly being very competitive again.
The Obvious Rebuild
First of all, look at what the Flyers have asset-wise.
In the first two rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Flyers have six (6!) picks. That’s almost 10% of all the picks in the first two rounds. They are loaded.
They also have a TON of money coming off the books after the 2024-2025 season. Ryan Johansen and Cal Petersen come off the books. That is $9mil alone. Additionally, it is the last year of the Tony DeAngelo buyout, saving the Flyers another $1.6mil. The Cam Atkinson buyout reduces from a $2.35mil hit to $1.75mil.
The same can be said, cap-wise, for 2025-2026. Scott Laughton and Nicolas Deslauriers both have expiring deals, along with the end of the Atkinson buyout and the expiration of contract retention for Kevin Hayes.
A lot of dead money in the next two offseasons will be freed, and the salary cap will keep rising. The cap situation is not as bad as it seems, even with the Konecny and Owen Tippett extensions.
Yes, Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Cam York are going to be restricted free agents next year and will need deals that will dent the cap a bit, but on the bright side, the Flyers have financial flexibility with Ryan Ellis. His contract can be moved to long-term injured reserve to save another $6.25mil.
The cap is no problem.
But, what about the need for a top-line center and a top-pair defenseman? Yes, those are the biggest needs, but the Flyers set themselves up to do practically what they want the next two offseasons in that regard.
The rebuild hit a fast-forward button with the early arrival of Matvei Michkov. Assuming they will want to build around Michkov, the Flyers will most certainly use their cap space, and SIX draft picks, in the first two rounds next year to make the team better. The front office took this summer off, more or less, to put themselves in a position to be more aggressive over the next two summers to fill the rest of the holes in this roster.
Instead of fostering Michkov with half the roster from last season gone via trade, Briere kept certain players like Laughton, Frost, Konecny, and Joel Farabee for Michkov to develop with familiar talent and leaders.
What comes next?
Not a lot happened this summer for the Flyers. They watched from the shadows as teams spent the most money on the first day of free agency than ever before. While they did not lose any major pieces, they most likely will fall in the standings due to what other teams in the Metropolitan Division did.
It is okay if that happens, by the way. If the Flyers do end up in the lottery next year, they can either use that pick or blow it open and trade for a high-impact player like a first-line center or first-pair defenseman. Unless Briere pushes all his chips in for some reason, they will have at least one first-round pick next draft no matter what.
Another big argument against the Flyers is they are too old to be rebuilding, but that is not the case. Last season the Flyers were the 10th youngest team in the NHL. With the removal of Atkinson and Marc Staal, and the addition of Michkov, and most likely one, or both, of Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning, that average age will only get lower.
Relax
With all these pieces in place, a perfect storm is brewing in Voorhees, NJ. Over the next two offseasons, we will see the rebuild plan come to light.
Instead of pounding your head into a wall and complaining about the second offseason of a rebuild meant to be more than a quick fix (where they hoarded a large amount of firepower), take a deep breath and enjoy watching the first blue-chip prospect for the Flyers in a decade create chemistry with a team that was already very close last season. I am sure that will be better for your mental health than yelling into the void on X.
