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On Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced they signed restricted free agent winger Nikita Grebenkin to a two year contract extension. The deal is worth $2.2 million with a $1.1 million annual average value (AAV).
The 23-year-old Grebenkin played his first full NHL season in 2025-26 with the Flyers. In 55 games, he scored four goals and 14 points. The six foot two, 210 lb forward made the Flyers roster out of training camp thanks to his tenacious forechecking style.
However, despite a willingness to play in the dirty areas of the ice, he was unable to elevate himself beyond a checking line role for much of the season. In addition, he missed the final 13 regular-season games and the entire 2026 postseason due to an upper-body injury initially sustained in late March.
Certainly the injury made the negotiation a little complicated. Additionally, Grebenkin changed agents going from Gold Star’s Dan Milstein to Adel Mansurov of Newport Sports.
As expected, Grebenkin has been recovering much of the summer, but he did appear during the team’s development camp. He’s expected to be ready for training camp in September.
Another Chance To Make An Impression With Flyers
Grebenkin was a former fifth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He joined the Flyers as a part of the Scott Laughton trade on March 7, 2025.
Following the trade, he played with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In 11 games with the AHL club, he scored three goals and seven points. He followed that with a goal and four points in seven Calder Cup playoff games. In doing so, he put himself of the team’s radar last season.
However, the main question is whether Grebenkin can elevate his play beyond his current role as a fourth line grinder. With players like Denver Barkey and Alex Bump making an impact, there’s no guarantee of regular ice time. Additionally, the Flyers signed forward Noel Acciari to a two year deal and winger Carl Grundstrom to a one year contract.
In short, Grebenkin faces stiff competition to get into the forward rotation.
Cap analysis: Grebenkin did well for himself
Upon closer inspection of the contract, it seems that Mansurov drove a bit of a hard bargain and got essentially what he wanted for his client. Due to the leaguewide salary cap inflation, the still-unproven Grebenkin landed a seven-figure average annual value contract. That’s probably a tad — not outrageously, certainly — higher than the Flyers initially offered. It’s also a one-way contract for both years.
Many similar players to Grebenkin’s status take a two-way, one-way deal: two-way the first year with a slightly higher NHL-level real-dollar salary in the first year than the 100 percent guaranteed number in the latter season. Conversely, Grebenkin got a straight-up bridge deal; a full notch above the NHL minimum even in year one.
Opportunities for growth
Grebenkin will be 25 when the deal expires. He’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. On-ice performance is the key to longer-term security and the next salary stratosphere in AAV.
The Russian forward is unlikely ever to become a prolific goal scorer. However, he has some upward mobility on the offensive end of his game. When given the occasional opportunity to slide into the top nine, Grebenkin flashed hints of skill and finishing potential.
Grebenkin still needs to improve on the defensive side of the puck. The potential is there, too, but he needs greater consistency. Grebenkin’s periodic lapses seemed to stem more from communication lapses than “cheating” for offense and making low-percentage decisions. Last year, the Russian forward’s command of English was in the middle range between rudimentary and being fluent. He’d nod vigorously, but clearly did not always have a full grasp on the instruction.
However, Grebenkin is enthusiastic and eager to accept coaching off or on the ice. He’s on the right track. Same goes for his relationship with the media.
Tne player doesn’t like to spend much time talking about the viral “forecheck, backcheck, paycheck” quip his old Toronto teammates taught him. With the English-speaking media, he politely turns down more interview requests than he accepts. This is because he’s still not 100% confident in expressing himself in formal settings. When he does agree to short interviews, Grebenkin sometimes stops midway and asks if he’s saying things correctly.
Grebenkin may not want to discuss his injury from last season or the rehab process. Some of it is communication. Some of it is the code of secrecy that many still follow in the NHL Nevertheless, rest assured that Grebenkin will be asked to comment.
Sizing up the competition
Grebenkin stands a good chance of making the Flyers opening night roster, as long as he’s healthy. He’d require waivers to send to Lehigh Valley. Furthermore, the one-way nature of his new contract also makes clear that the organization sees him as an NHL roster player right now.
However, there’s still a numbers game. Last year, Grebenkin entered camp in competition with Alex Bump for a roster spot. Bump was the slight favorite. Instead, Grebenkin outplayed Bump in camp. Grebenkin made the team. Bump spent the majority of the season in the AHL (he also missed some time with injury).
Later in the season, Bump got healthy. Now, Grebenkin was the one who was out with injury. Bump showed more offensive pop than Grebenkin. However, he, too, also showed need for further 200-foot development.
The NHL playing time competition never re-emerged last season between Grebenkin and Bump. This was due to injuries. Now, the battle should renew in camp and the abbreviated preseason. Bump does not yet require waivers for an AHL assigment.
Can Grebenkin move into the top nine?
In the long term, Grebenkin may need to become a top-nine forward to become an every game starter at the NHL level. He needn’t become a power play option (even on the second unit) but that’d clearly help his cause. Otherwise, he’d have to improve enough defensively to someday become a penalty kill candidate. It’s tough to stay in an NHL lineup regularly when you don’t regularly play on at least one end of special teams.
Fortunately, Grebenkin has the potential to reach that goal. He could someday become a PP2 netfront/space creator type. Head coach Rick Tocchet regularly praised the young winger’s “stickiness” in winning puck battles and getting to the high-traffic areas of ice. He didn’t always maintain that level, but he did more often than not. When he didn’t , Grebenkin sat for stretches as a healthy scratch.
Realistically, Grebenkin starts from a similar place to where he left off last season.
What’s next for Briere and the Flyers?
In securing Grebenkin, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere has nearly closed the books on the team’s restricted free agents. He signed all the probable NHL roster players. Only NHL/AHL roster bubble defenseman Hunter McDonald remains unsigned.
The Flyers would still like to address the need for a power play defenseman. The fact that former Dallas defenseman John Klingberg remains unsigned on the unrestricted free agent market speaks to how much the player’s stock has plummeted league-wide. Unless it’s a bargain basement one-year deal, I’d expect Philly to look internally if not for a trade.
Same goes for the need at center. Unless a trade comes down the pike before opening night, the Flyers are likely to keep what’s on hand. There are no unrestricted free agents on the market who fill even a stopgap role as a scoring center.
Flyers Community: Caravan and Fantasy Camp
The annual off-season Community Caravan has been on the love throughout this week. One August date remains:
July 29 (5:30 PM): Flyers Training Center, Voorhees, NJ (Completed)
Aug 4 (2:00 PM): Congress Hall Great Lawn, Cape May, NJ (Completed)
Aug 5 (6:00 PM): Mays Landing Ball Hockey, Mays Landing, NJ (Completed)
Aug 6 (12:00 PM): Sport and Civic Center, Ocean City, NJ (Completed)
Aug 19 (5:30 PM): Miller Park, Exton, PA (Upcoming)
Meanwhile, the annual Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp runs next Friday (Aug. 14) through Monday, Aug. 17. All games and practices at the Class of 1923 Arena on the University of Pennsylvania campus are free to attend. There is no formal meet-and-greet event for the Alumni. However, they are approachable when not coaching.
This year’s coaches: Mark Recchi, Mark Howe, Tim Kerr, Robert Esche, Joe Watson, Patrick Sharp, Keith Jones.
