July 08, 2025
The Flyers signed Cam York on Monday, which should put a bow on their offseason to-do list.
The 24-year-old defenseman got a five-year, $25.75 million contract ($5.15 million per) that will run up to 2030 and effectively keep his prime years in Philadelphia.
With that, the Flyers cleared out their restricted free agent deck for the summer, and all things considered, on pretty reasonable terms.
York had a down year this past season, which was set back by an early-season shoulder injury and, down the stretch, some rough play and a disciplinary benching in the buildup to former coach John Tortorella's firing – granted, the rest of the team was spiraling in that span, too.
But here's what York is at minimum: A top-four capable defenseman who can manage his assignments and eat up 20-plus minutes a night, as he has for the past two seasons.
As far as what his true ceiling is? That's still to be seen. The former 2019 first-round pick made some significant strides two years ago when he skated in all 82 games and put up 30 points on the top defensive pairing left of Travis Sanheim, but this past year had its roadblocks that left him playing catch-up, by York's own admission after it was over.
This coming 2025-26 season, under new head coach Rick Tocchet, will likely prove pivotal in determining what that ceiling really is.
"I do feel like I've developed over the years, but I do want to continue to take strides in every part of my game," York told the local media in a Zoom call on Tuesday. "I think offensively, I have so much more to give, and I feel like I have a lot of skill that other defensemen don't have.
"I feel like when I'm on my game, I'm a really versatile guy that not many guys in the league have that ability to do."
Flyers get a good deal on Cam York, a solid defensive top four defenseman. A lot of good comps that suggest he should stay at that level through the life of a five-year deal. pic.twitter.com/k6nMo3N7ij
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 7, 2025
The Flyers can afford to sit pretty comfortably as they wait to see if he consistently can, at least in an immediate financial sense.
Earlier in the summer, they signed center Noah Cates to a four-year, $16 million extension ($4 million per) and breakout winger Tyson Foerster to a two-year, $7.5 million bridge deal ($3.75 million per). Add York's new contract into the mix, and that's three key young pieces taken care of for under $5.5 million each, which is considerably manageable.
Now, the Flyers do only have a touch over $370,000 in cap space following York's signing, per PuckPedia, and with a hesitancy from general manager Danny Brière to dig into long-term injured reserve by stashing Ryan Ellis' lingering contract in it (it has two years left still).
However, that money is mostly occupied by short-term commitments, like recent free agent signings Christian Dvorak (one year at $5.4 million), Dan Vladar (two years at $3.35 million per), and trade acquisition Trevor Zegras (one year at $5.75 million).
That cash is expected to free up next summer, with a rising cap and the retained salary on Kevin Hayes ($3.6 million) and Scott Laughton ($1.5 million) coming off the books, too.
Brière said at this past season's end that the Flyers would be shifting from the subtracting phase of their rebuild into the adding part, but as has long been the belief among fans, the summer of 2026 is when the Flyers are expected to really dig into the outside market.
They'll likely have a pretty good idea of what they'll still need for the long haul by then.
A few other thoughts on the Flyers, mostly stemming from this week's development camp in Voorhees and the prospects' 5-on-5 scrimmage from Sunday...
Alex Bump might be knocking on the door of the Flyers' roster as a result of Foerster's unclear status to start the season due to an infection in his arm.
Sunday's 5-on-5 prospect scrimmage at the Flyers' training center in Voorhees could've very well done a lot to build up Bump's case.
The 21-year-old winger looked a cut above everyone else on the ice on Sunday, exhibiting some sharp and efficient skating, along with some highly methodical control of the puck.
A fifth-round draft pick from 2022 out of the junior USHL, Bump broke out into a star and then a national champion at Western Michigan in the NCAA, then jumped right into the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' playoff run, which was met with some immediate highs and then reality-checking lows to learn from into the summer.
Bump is working on getting stronger now to adapt to the higher physicality of the pro game, and if he comes in and puts up a great training camp, then the NHL could be awaiting.
Sunday's scrimmage looked like a notable step along that path.
"I think Bump's put himself in a position, regardless of Foerster's injury, where he's gonna be competing for a job," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Sunday. "He's done everything we've asked him to as far as his collegiate career, training since we've drafted him, and you can see the product out there for a young guy.
"He's not coming to camp to hope to play one day. He's coming to make the team."
Earlier in development camp, sixth overall pick Porter Martone said his mission is to make the Flyers' opening night roster.
That declaration, however, was made in response to a question of whether he's given thought to returning to juniors or making the jump into college, where older, stronger competition and NIL money (Name, Image, and Likeness) have been rapidly shifting the amateur hockey landscape.
The 18-year-old wing prospect could make a push for an NHL roster spot in camp that the Flyers ultimately can't refuse, but still, the likelihood for right now is that he'll be looking at one more year of development.
It's just trying to figure out whether that will be back in Brampton and the Ontario Hockey League, or in another program entirely.
"Martone obviously got all kinds of offers," Flahr said Sunday. "He wants to play in the NHL, and that's a discussion we'll have to have with his agent. As much as we want him to play, we just gotta make sure we do what's best for him.
"We'll figure that out here in the coming weeks and see what he wants to do, his people, his family, and go from there.
Riley Armstrong, the Flyers' director of player development, sang center prospect Cole Knuble's praises earlier in the week, and on Sunday, it was easy to see why.
During the scrimmage, the 21-year-old split through the middle of the ice on rushes pretty well and seemed to be a constantly active presence in the corners digging after the puck.
Knuble, in his sophomore season at Notre Dame, put up 12 goals and 39 points through 34 games, and Armstrong noted that he seemed to settle increasingly better into his game as this past year went on.
Knuble will be going back to Notre Dame for Year 3 this coming season, which could be setting up for another major step, and perhaps leave the Flyers with a diamond-in-the-rough find as a fourth-round draft choice from 2023.
The Flyers had winger Jakob Pelletier to address as one of their last RFAs alongside York, but when the organization issued its qualifying offers last Monday, Pelletier curiously didn't receive one, which let him walk straight into unrestricted free agency.
The 24-year-old ended up signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a three-year deal at only $775,000 annually, per PuckPedia, which made the Flyers' decision to let him go a bit more odd since he wasn't that expensive, but ultimately, that's hardly going to be a make or break in the big picture.
Pelletier was a part of the return from Calgary in the Joel Farabee-Morgan Frost trade, but the real crux of that deal on the Flyers' end was to get Farabee's $5 million cap hit off the books without any retention.
He did play and found a bit of a rhythm following Tortorella's firing with three goals in his last eight games this past season, but his fit going into the summer (as you can kind of see in Zegras-included lineup projection HERE) was never quite clear, and with a building list of forward prospects below him knocking on the door, like Bump, Jett Luchanko, Devin Kaplan, Nikita Grebenkin, and even Martone, the spot he would've occupied is really better served going to one of the younger guys in house.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
