Reese: Flyers Must Prioritize Team Build Before ‘Big Splash’

It’s easy to want the Philadelphia Flyers to take a big swing in free agency.

Currently, the Flyers are matching their longest postseason drought in franchise history. There are a few things: a horrific powerplay, a lack of goaltending, and a defensive unit that’s still a work in progress, remaining as glaring needs before attempting a ‘big splash’ in the offseason.

Money spent could be a critical hit against the rebuild. It also could benefit. The ends would need to justify the means. That’s the point of rebuilding. One playoff series that proclaimed that sentiment with its chest was the 2025 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, where the Florida Panthers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Almost immediately, a good chunk of the Philadelphia market began to chat about Mitch Marner. He’s a superstar in the NHL. Marner will be a UFA this offseason, finishing a 6yr/$65.41mil contract with the Maple Leafs. Coming off of his first season past the 100+ point threshold, he’ll command more than his $10.9mil/AAV price point.

Without a doubt, that’s the hot name. However, before spending $10+mil on a single player, ask why Toronto didn’t make it to the next round and why the Panthers did. After all, the team built best did advance in Game 7, and Florida did not have a 100+ point producer on their roster.

A Case For Marner in Philadelphia

Marner fits Philadelphia because of his point production and two-way play. Cut and dry, if the Flyers were to make a proper ‘big splash’ in free agency, this is it.

A superstar in this league, Marner would help attract other players to Philadelphia as the rebuild keeps moving forward and the salary cap keeps rising. His arrival alone would potentially place him on a line with Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, or Matvei Michkov. Most importantly, Marner would almost automatically reinvent the Flyers’ powerplay.

He wouldn’t be a fix-all for the forward group in Philadelphia, but the improvements would be drastic. This signing would indicate Daniel Brière throttling the Flyers toward a postseason push. Rick Tocchet had a similar dynamic in 2023-2024 with the Vancouver Canucks, including a 100+ point season from JT Miller. A high-octane injection to begin a new head coaching job in a genuinely familiar market couldn’t be more available for Tocchet if Brière landed Marner.

Enter the old ‘scared money don’t make money,’ cliché.

High-end talent is scarce. Philadelphia has a roster of talent that needs a medium to help release it. Marner is a player who will make his teammates better on the ice, and point production will reflect that. He’ll be due to make at least $13mil/AAV. It’s worth considering what builds a postseason contender: a $13mil/AAV superstar RW or a few signings to sprinkle that money throughout the lineup.

A Case Against Marner in Philadelphia

Frankly, the case against Marner is rooted in the Flyers getting ahead of themselves. At a glance, Philadelphia currently has the cap space available ($27.67mil) to sign Marner.

Foerster, Noah Cates, Cam York, and Jakob Pelletier are pending RFAs. If all but Pelletier received extensions, the Flyers would have roughly $13.17mil remaining. Keeping that status quo and adding Marner evaporates the newly minted $95.5mil cap space.

The plan shouldn’t be to evaporate the cap space with a ‘big splash.’ Philadelphia could become a destination in the NHL if they wisely add without breaking the bank and sacrificing assets. There are other names available without spending the remaining budget. Brock Boeser, for example, is more affordable and most recently led all forwards on the Canucks in points under Tocchet.

Going broke for a high-end talent puts the Flyers back into cap purgatory and wildly reduces the opportunity to secure other team requirements to contend in the postseason.

Adding Marner probably propels Philadelphia into the postseason. He should, especially if a team is paying $13mil/AAV. A more sensible approach for a team without a postseason berth in the last five years would be to add Boeser. The cap will rise again after 2025-2026 (2026-2027: $104mil), and Brière could make an aggressive play at Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, or Martin Nečas. Something else to consider when the cap is heading to $104mil are the goaltenders because Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Alexei Kolosov will be in their contract seasons; Brière may consider jumping into the market for Filip Gustavsson or Anthony Stolarz.