On Thursday afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers announced a two-year contract extension for 23-year-old right winger Tyson Foerster. The deal carries a $3.75 million cap hit for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. He will become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent on July 1, 2027.
Foerster enjoyed a strong overall second full season in the National Hockey League. He netted 25 goals (five more than his rookie season) and 43 points overall. By signing on May 29, the young winger preempted restricted free agency this summer.
What’s in the deal for Foerster?
Essentially, the player bet on himself. He signed a two-year bridge contract with an eye toward his next deal;. He is eligible for another extension next summer or at any time during the 2026-27 campaign. The deal would kick in for the 2027-28 season. Consequently, agent Murray Koontz advised his client to accept the two-year deal now.
Immediately, Foerster gets a big raise from his entry-level contract. According to Sportrac, Foerster has grossed $1.825 million in earnings during his professional career to date. In other words, his new contract represents an immediate and substantial increase.
Could Foerster have earned more if he let restricted free agency play out? Probably.
Even before the summer, there were rumblings that at least one rival team was contemplating an offer sheet. However, Foerster seems happy in Philadelphia and clearly wanted to get his contract resolved sooner rather than later. Ultimately, a good agent puts the client’s wishes first.
What’s in the deal for the Flyers?
The Flyers kicked the can down the road two seasons. As long as Foerster continues to meet expectations (the next step for him is 39-plus goal status), he will be in line for a massive extension and much larger cap hit come 2027-28. Simply, the Flyers were not going to get a deal done this summer at a lower cap hit. They can budget the $3.75 million of cap space for Foerster. Meanwhile, the team can still tend to other business this summer.
How real was the offer sheets possibility this year? Real enough that it gave the Flyers side a sense of urgency to get a deal done ahead of July. By doing it in late May, the Flyers prevented other teams from setting Foerster’s market value to an uncomfortable level.
By their nature, offer sheets are designed to be poison pills. The choice, match the offer of a major overpay OR lose the player. Teams have also grown savvier, to the dollar, of how to avoid maximum compensation for a non-matched offer sheet.
The salary cap will rise sharply in the next few offseasons. The Flyers also have some expensive contracts coming off the books in the summers of 2026 and 2027. This bridge deal allows time for Daniel Briere and Hockey Ops to plan. Ultimately, Foerster himself is part of the planning. His next deal will take him through his prime.
Draft thoughts. I am hoping that Chicago or Utah needs a winger and takes Martone. That would leave a center for us. Most likely Frondell or Desnoyers.
From The Athletic
Tier 1
Matthew Schaefer
Michael Misa
Tier 2
Porter Martone
James Hagens
Caleb Desnoyers
Anton Frondell