We’re officially in a new era of the NHL with the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) kicking in as of Wednesday, Sept. 16. We saw a bunch of teams rush to sign players to eight-year contracts on Tuesday, as that was the last day that contracts of more than seven years were legal.
The Flyers were not one of those teams, although Danny Briere & Co. signed Tyson Foerster to an eight-year, $56.8 million ($7.1 million AAV) contract earlier this summer. And that got us thinking about which current Flyers contracts look most favorable after an offseason that saw a new normal across the league, thanks in part to the Flyers’ massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson.
So let’s take a look at the five best contracts the Flyers have on the books.
5. Cam York: $5.15 million through 2029-30
The Flyers locked up Cam York to a five-year deal last summer when the defenseman was a restricted free agent.
After averaging 22:37 per game while dressing in all 82 contests in the 2023-24 season, the blueliner was limited to 66 games and saw his ice time drop nearly two minutes per game to 20:47 in the 2024-25 campaign. Of course, that season saw York reportedly have an altercation with John Tortorella, which somewhat explains his decrease in usage.
It didn’t take long for the Flyers to stand by their defenseman, though, and they gave him a five-year deal that offseason.
York’s contract isn’t one that you’re going to be ranting and raving about, in fact, there are some people who aren’t big fans of the defenseman and could look at this deal the other way. However, York established himself as a solid second-pair defenseman who can move up to the top pair when necessary in his first season under Rick Tocchet, getting back up to 22:32 per game while playing in 74 contests.
4. Travis Sanheim: $6.25 million through 2030-31
It wasn’t too long ago when the Flyers were trying to ship out Travis Sanheim and his $6.25 million cap hit, but Torey Krug exercising his no-trade clause saved the blueliner’s career in Philadelphia, and he’s turned it around ever since.
Sanheim has gone from a second-pair defenseman with a contract that could be viewed as an anchor to the anchor of the Flyers’ blue line. No matter who he plays with, he’s able to slow things down and raise up his partner’s game.
His game has been recognized internationally, too, as he was a member of Team Canada at both the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The top-pair defenseman has averaged over 24 minutes per game in the last two seasons, scoring a career-high 11 goals last year. He’s been a model of consistency for the Flyers, missing just five games in the last five seasons.
3. Tyson Foerster: $7.1 million (2027-28 through 2034-35)
I initially didn’t want to include any of the contracts signed this summer in this ranking, especially one that won’t kick in until next season, but the Tyson Foerster contract just keeps looking better and better with every other comparable coming in since the Flyers extended him on July 1.
There are some injury concerns for Foerster, who played in just 29 games last season as he dealt with multiple arm injuries. However, he was one of the Flyers’ most important players in those games, scoring 13 goals and recording 17 points in total. Prior to going down with an arm injury against the Penguins, Foerster scored 10 goals in 21 games, and he already has two 20-goal seasons under his belt.
Foerster is also a key player for the Flyers in all situations. He’s one of their best defensive forwards and penalty killers, posting a +2.97 expected goals share relative to his teammates at 5-on-5 last season, per Natural Stat Trick.
There is going to be some sort of risk with any contract, and I suppose the injury risk is there, but he came back sooner than expected from both his offseason injury and the one that was supposed to end his season.
2. Owen Tippett: $6.2 million through 2031-32
As with Sanheim’s contract, this deal is one that has aged better than expected. People weren’t sure what to think when Briere signed Tippett to an eight-year deal in the middle of the 2023-24 season, but he followed up his 27-goal showing in the 2023-24 campaign with 28 goals the next year.
Tippett then took a step back with 20 goals, but netted 28 last season while carrying the team to victory on a few occassions. The streakiness is still there, and consistency is going to be key with Tippett, but as with the Foerster contract, this $6.2 million cap hit will look like a steal if the forward can keep scoring at this rate — or higher — as a dynamic winger in Philadelphia.
You could argue that this is the best contract on the Flyers’ books right now, as a $6.2 million cap hit is going to look better and better with the cap rising, but I need to see Tippett finally take that next step before crowning him.
1. Noah Cates: $4 million through 2028-29
This contract is already a steal for the Flyers. Noah Cates is perhaps one of the most underrated defensive forwards in the game, and he recorded career highs with 18 goals, 29 assists, and 47 points last season while primarily playing a shutdown role on the third line.
Briere locked up Cates last summer after the forward was coming off a 37-point season, more than doubling his 18 points from the year prior (in 59 games, though). It looked like a savvy signing at the time, and much like most of the contracts on this list, it is only getting better.
Cates may not always be noticeable on the ice, and his impact won’t always show up in the box score, but his presence was sorely missed in the second-round series against the Hurricanes.
Having Cates at $4 million, along with these other key pieces on team-friendly deals, will be important when it comes time for Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, and the rest of the Flyers’ young guns to get paid.
