Retaining Morgan Frost will be among the Flyers’ priorities in free agency

As the Flyers’ offseason gets underway, not only will the front office be tasked with adding new talent to the organization, but interim general manager Danny Brière and Co. will also have to make decisions on the players set to hit unrestricted and restricted free agency who are on the roster.

The Flyers have seven players throughout the organization who are set to become unrestricted free agents and 10 who are restricted free agents. If a restricted free agent does not receive a qualifying offer by June 25 at 5 p.m., he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Free agency opens noon July 1, nearly two days after the conclusion of the draft, allowing unrestricted free agents to sign contracts with any team.

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Which players are going to be a part of the Flyers’ rebuild, and which players will Brière let walk? Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent names among the groups in question.

The Flyers have three key players on the NHL roster who will be restricted free agents — 24-year-old center Noah Cates, center Morgan Frost, who turns 24 next month, and 22-year-old defenseman Cam York. It seems a no-brainer that each of these restricted free agents will be issued a qualifying offer by the Flyers. Cates is the only player of the group who is eligible for arbitration. (June 19 is the deadline for first club-elected salary arbitration notification, July 5 for player-elected salary arbitration notification, and July 6 for the second club-elected salary arbitration notification.)

Each of the three young players had solid seasons with the Flyers. In his first full season at the professional level, Cates transitioned from wing to center and showcased a strong two-way game. He collected 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 82 games, with 11 of those points (three goals, eight assists) coming in the final 14 games of the season. He also posted a plus-three rating (best among players who played the entire season with the Flyers) and was responsible for going up against and trying to slow down the league’s top players.

After starting the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, York was called up in December and never packed his bags for Allentown again. He registered two goals and 18 assists for 20 points in 54 games while playing primarily on the top pairing alongside Ivan Provorov. York played in all situations, including the power play and penalty kill.

Frost displayed his skill on a more consistent basis as the Flyers reached the second half of the season, especially over the last month. He collected 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in the final 14 games of the season, including five multi-point contests. In 81 games, Frost set career highs in goals (19), assists (27), and points (46).

The other seven restricted free agents in the organization include forward Kieffer Bellows, defenseman Egor Zamula, defenseman Ronnie Attard, and winger Olle Lycksell. Again, the Flyers are likely to extend an offer sheet to the majority of their restricted free agents, seeing as most of them are considered their prospects and are still developing. Twenty-three-year-old Zamula, 24-year-old Attard, and 23-year-old Lycksell were solid in their NHL stints this season and have plenty more growing to do in their respective games.

Bellows, whom the Flyers claimed on waivers from the New York Islanders on Oct. 27., is more of a question mark. The 24-year-old played just 27 of a possible 75 games with the Flyers, sitting as a healthy scratch for the rest. He averaged just nine minutes, 47 seconds, playing primarily on the fourth line. Bellows scored three goals with the Flyers.

Given that Bellows struggled to make the most of his limited ice time and that he doesn’t have a history in the organization, the Flyers may opt to let him become an unrestricted free agent.

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The Flyers only have two full-time NHL players who are set to become unrestricted free agents — wingers James van Riemsdyk and Brendan Lemieux.

Former general manager Chuck Fletcher attempted to move van Riemsdyk, who is about to turn 34, at the trade deadline. He was unsuccessful at doing so, and van Riemsdyk finished the season with the Flyers. Van Riemsdyk tallied 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 61 games this season, 21 of those points (eight goals, 13 assists) coming in his first 30 games. Given van Riemsdyk’s age and his declining abilities on the ice, it’s in the best interest of the rebuilding Flyers to let him hit the open market.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Lemieux arrived in Philadelphia as part of the return for winger Zack MacEwen, whom Fletcher sent to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline. Fletcher said following the deadline that it was his priority to receive a 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for MacEwen, but he agreed to take Lemieux essentially to help facilitate the deal.

In his 18-game audition with the Flyers, Lemieux collected two goals and four assists while playing primarily on the fourth line. He also racked up 21 penalty minutes while averaging 12:43 of ice time. Given Lemieux’s underwhelming performance in a limited role, the Flyers may opt to let him hit the market in order to give his spot to a younger player.

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