3 Free Agents the Flyers Should Avoid Signing – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers were fairly active last offseason, acquiring Christian Dvorak, Dan Vladař, and Trevor Zegras—all of whom were a big help in the team’s 98-point season and first-round victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. This summer could be busy, too.

Which free agents, though, should the Flyers avoid at all costs? Here are three.

Rasmus Andersson, D, Vegas Golden Knights

After a second-round appearance, it may seem wise to add a top-four puck-mover to the blue line—doing so could really benefit the defense. But the Flyers still aren’t in a position to be making moves like this.

Theoretically, Rasmus Andersson will command a long-term deal should he hit the open market, and the average salary wouldn’t be cheap. Seeing as he’ll be 30 years old early next season, signing him would be a win-now move. But the Flyers, despite their growth, are not a win-now team.

The Flyers’ true Stanley Cup window probably won’t open for another few seasons. After all, Denver Barkey, Jack Berglund, Oliver Bonk, Alex Bump, David Jiříček, Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Jack Nesbitt, and Egor Zavragin are under the age of 23—the core members of this rebuild.

Thus, there’s no real reason to risk the long-term future of the team by committing a huge salary to a veteran defenseman (especially one whose 2025-26 results weren’t that great). Those types of moves can come later, if necessary.

Claude Giroux, RW, Ottawa Senators

There may have been a brief period of time when bringing Claude Giroux back to Philadelphia would have made sense—an experienced leader with genuine skill is important for a young team. But the Flyers’ new leadership group is starting to form, and there isn’t much room in the top nine for him, anyway. It’s best to leave this chapter closed.

Even at 38 years old, Giroux is still playing some solid hockey. He recorded 14 goals and 35 assists last season with a plus-20 rating across 82 games. Additionally, with a 63.1% faceoff win rate, he led the NHL. But a reunion isn’t really the play.

At this stage, the Flyers should focus on integrating younger players into the middle six—not external veterans. Signing Giroux could prevent guys like Barkey and Bump from getting opportunities. That’s a no-go.

Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

This player falls under a similar umbrella as Andersson, but with far more risk. In the wake of Victor Hedman’s injury troubles, 30-year-old right-shot defenseman Darren Raddysh saw a massive usage spike. Frequently on the top pairing and with No. 1 power-play duties, he recorded 22 goals and 48 assists across 73 games. He finished seventh in points among defensemen.

For some of the same reasons outlined under Andersson, the Flyers have no business bringing in a 30-year-old defenseman who will command a lot of term and a high salary. With Raddysh, though, he’s probably someone they should avoid regardless of how many years he wants to sign for.

Even if Raddysh has a booming shot, it’s fair to assume that the season he had can only be replicated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nikita Kucherov is perhaps the best shot creator in the NHL, and his defensemen benefit greatly from that. While Michkov specializes in creating shots for defensemen, too, he’s A) not doing so at Kucherov’s level yet and B) not getting Kucherov-type usage. Philadelphia isn’t the right fit for Tampa Bay’s breakout defender.

The Flyers shouldn’t necessarily be discouraged from signing free agents. It’s just that, as of now, committing big money and term to veterans isn’t the play. Win-now moves should be reserved for win-now teams—something the Orange and Black are not.