As previously alluded to by Brotherly Bully’s Brandon Somermann on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Flyers and forward Tyson Foerster have reportedly come to terms on a 2-year extension worth $3.75 million per season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco reported the signing on Thursday.
Foerster, who was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st, finished the 2024-25 season on a high note as he claimed 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games. He improved by 5 goals and 10 points from last year’s 33-point rookie campaign.
It was an up-and-down season for a lot of Flyers players but while his numbers weren’t eye-popping, Foerster was one of the more consistent forwards on the team. For a large part of the year, his line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink dominated possession and 5-on-5 play and were recognized as one of the best league-wide.
His ice-time dropped a bit from last year but an interesting part of his season is that his shot totals dropped by 25 in 4 more games played. He finished the year with a fantastic 17.1 success rate but 142 shots is not nearly enough for a scoring winger who finished with 25 goals.
Nevertheless, Foerster finished the year on a heater as he scored 9 goals and 13 points in the team’s final 12 games, which coincided with the dismissal of John Tortorella. His ice-time jumped up to nearly 19 minutes a night and with a more offensively-inclined coaching system in place, he was a shining light in an otherwise dismal season.
Perhaps for that reason he was chosen to represent Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship. Despite their disappointing finish at the hands of Denmark in the Quarterfinals, Foerster spent the majority of the tournament on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Bo Horvat and was rewarded for his efforts.
It will be interesting to see how newly-minted head coach Rick Tocchet utilizes Foerster because midway through the season he was taken off the penalty kill and his power play time decreased heavily from last year. He was primarily used at even strength but someone of his unique skill set should be in all situations.
The Flyers’ decision to go down the bridge route is also noteworthy and something the club doesn’t necessarily do, especially after handing Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny the maximum 8 years on their respective deals last year.
However, Foerster still has a lot to prove and he’s only 23 years old, so another improvement or two will go a long way into a future long-term extension with the club. It also poses very little risk for both parties with the salary cap rising exponentially over the next few years and the Flyers still figuring out their core.
With Foerster’s deal in the books, PuckPedia estimates the Flyers have $22,991,905 in cap space remaining this summer with Cates, Jakob Pelletier, and Cam York as their remaining pending RFAs.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login