The Flyers have had their eyes set on the future for some time now, and with a recent trade, plus the NHL’s salary cap expanding, the club is positioned to accelerate its rebuild, if it wants.

The team’s recent trade of Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Flames netted them more cap space moving forward. Farabee’s $5 million cap hit through 2027-2028 is off the books. Frost, expected to receive a raise as a restricted free agent this offseason, will not get that raise from the Flyers.

On Jan. 31, the NHL announced big salary cap increases for the coming years. Next season, the cap will be $95.5 million. In 2026-2027, it will be $104 million. The season after that, $113.5 million. The 2024-2025 cap is $88 million.

According to PuckPedia, the Flyers have a little less than $23.5 million in cap space next season. That number increases to a smidge over $57.5 million in 2026-2027 and to $81.85 million for 2027-2028.

Those numbers will slightly change over the next few weeks and months. Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, and Cam York – they’re restricted free agents at season’s end – will get pay bumps this summer. If the Flyers move Rasmus Ristolainen before the March 7 trade deadline, that would impact their cap space over the next few years, too. Ristolainen has a $5.1 million cap hit through 2026-2027.

In a Ristolainen trade, which isn’t for certain, the Flyers could clear his full salary. Or, they could retain part of it to receive better draft-pick compensation, something they have plenty of heading into this year’s draft.

The Flyers also received a first-round pick in their deal with the Flames, giving them their third for the 2025 draft. They also have four second-round picks. Seven picks in the first two rounds is a lot, and that total could increase come the trade deadline.

Again, if they want, the Flyers can expedite their rebuild. Cap space means room for spending money in free agency. Early-round draft picks can be used to acquire top-tier NHL players via trade.

But don’t be surprised if the club remains patient.

In speaking with the media on Feb. 1, general manager Daniel Briere noted the club’s cap flexibility but stated there’s no guarantee it’ll be used soon.

“The biggest thing in all of this is the cap flexibility that it gives us moving forward,” Briere said when talking about the trade with the Flames.

“It gives us some possibilities going into the offseason. It’s like cracking the door open a little bit. I wouldn’t say that it’s wide open. I’m not saying that this will be the year that we go out [and make a big free-agent signing]. It’s gotta be the right player, or players if we do decide to open up the checkbook,” Briere said when talking about cap flexibility.

The Flyers’ GM also stated they don’t know who will be available in free agency this summer. Therefore, they can’t make any plans right now. They don’t want to spend money just to spend money.

“I want to make sure that I’m clear here,” Briere said. “We’re not going to just start spending money just for the fun of it. We want to make sure that we get the right players when we decide to open up the checkbook.”

If not through free agency, maybe a splashy trade could net the Flyers a top-line center – something the organization has publicly stated as a need/want – or a high-level player in general. But those guys don’t just become available. They’re hard to acquire, whether it be by signing, trading for, or drafting one.

Maybe the Flyers are positioning themselves to move toward the very top of the upcoming draft to select a player that better fits the team’s current timeline. The later years of the 2020s have been the target for when the franchise would like to start truly competing as playoff and eventual Stanley Cup contenders.

Maybe an attractive big move knocks on their door, nudging the Flyers to pull the trigger now to advance the rebuild rather than later. But patience remains an option. And it might be the likeliest one.

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