Owen Tippett underwent sports hernia/core surgery in mid-to-late May 2026 and is expected to be ready for Training Camp in September, but some reports note he may not feel fully like himself (regaining peak explosiveness, confidence in core movements, etc.) until later in the 2026-27 season—around December/January (or possibly into early 2027).

This follows issues from the 2025-26 playoffs. Tippett played through a sports hernia in the first round against Pittsburgh (where the Flyers won in six games) and then dealt with a separate internal bleeding issue that kept him out of the entire second-round series against Carolina. He was able to skate at times but never cleared for games. The internal bleeding resolved, and he had the sports hernia surgery roughly two weeks before early June updates from General Manager Daniel Briere.

Tippett is projected to be healthy for camp and the start of the season after a strong regular season (28 goals and 51 points in 81 games). However, recovery from these core injuries often means players are physically cleared but take extra months to regain full power, cutting ability, and confidence in high-intensity hockey movements. Flyers history with similar procedures (e.g., involving players like Claude Giroux, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jamie Drysdale, Kevin Hayes, Brian Elliott) has sometimes shown lingering effects into December or January. Tippett also had a reduced offseason training window as a result, and not to mention possible clean outs.

Just be patient, Tippett may ease in and hit his stride later rather than producing at peak levels from Day 1.

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Rasmus Ristolainen is entering the final year of his five-year, $5.1 million AAV deal, and it’s a big one especially if the Flyers want to move him at the trade deadline.

In 2025-26 he played just 44 regular-season games (1G-13A-14P, +10) after missing the first 31 games with a triceps tendon injury (his second such issue in recent years). When healthy he averaged over 21 minutes and contributed solidly; in the playoffs he stepped up further (10 GP, 1G-4A-5P, 25 TOI, heavy minutes against Sidney Crosby and in the Carolina series) as the Flyers beat Pittsburgh before getting swept.by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Why a strong, healthy season matters

• Right-side depth and size: The Flyers’ right defense currently features Ristolainen, Jamie Drysdale (just extended), and younger options like Oliver Bonk, David Jiricek, and Helge Grans. Drysdale brings skill but not bulk; the kids lack proven NHL experience and physicality. Ristolainen (6’4″, 208) provides the big-body presence, shot-blocking, and shutdown ability that pairs well with Travis Sanheim and helps balance the blue line.
• Proven when available: Post-Olympics (where he was strong for bronze-medal Finland) and in the playoffs he looked like one of his better versions — driving positive on-ice results, physical play, and reliable minutes. A full healthy season at that level would stabilize the top four and support a team that just returned to the postseason.
• Contract/timing: At 31 he can still deliver top-four value. A big year raises his trade value (the Flyers have shopped him before, seeking a first-rounder-level return) or makes a reasonable extension more attractive. Injury history remains the risk; another long absence would force more ice time onto unproven players.

The Flyers’ defense has improved and has upside with Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler, but it still needs reliable, experienced size on the right. A healthy, productive Rasmus Ristolainen (full season, strong possession/defensive metrics, physical impact) would be a meaningful help for a club trying to take the next step after their 2025-26 playoff appearance. If he regresses or gets hurt again, the pressure on the young right-side options rises quickly and/or would quickly diminish his trade value.

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The Flyers loaned forward Jack Berglund to Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the full 2026-27 season.

Berglund, a 20-year-old (born April 10, 2006) Swedish center/forward from Karlstad, was selected by the Flyers in the second round (51st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He is 6’4 and weighs 217 pounds. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers on April 9, 2026, then made his AHL debut with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring one goal in five game played.

In 2025-26 he played mostly for Färjestad BK (his hometown club), putting up seven goals and five assists (12 points) in 40 SHL games, plus three assists in seven playoff games. He captained Sweden to gold at the 2026 World Junior Championship (3 goals, 7 assists in 7 games) and also appeared for Sweden at the 2026 World Championship.

Why is he staying in Sweden

Berglund still had a year left on his Färjestad contract, and he wanted to honor it. He saw unfinished business after the team’s playoff exit the prior season, according to a Swedish publication. The SHL season starts early, so he will not attend Flyers Training Camp. Berglund is expected to return to North America (likely the Phantoms) after the Swedish season ends.

There Is nothing wrong with Berglund getting top line minutes in the SHL, extra developmental time always helps.

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Jamie Drysdale is healthy, under contract, and focused on further improvement heading into the 2026-27 NHL season.

In July 2026, the Flyers signed the 24-year-old restricted free agent to a four-year, $26 million extension ($6.5 million AAV), avoiding arbitration. He has said he is “thrilled” and “excited” to stay in Philly long-term, calling it the place he wants to play “For as long as I can.” The deal runs through 2029-30.

2025-26 Season Recap

Drysdale put together his most complete NHL season: 8 goals and 24 assists for 32 points (tying his career high) in 78 games, with improved defensive play, higher average ice time (~21:33), and a big jump in plus-minus. He also contributed 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 10 playoff games during the Flyers’ first-round series win and second-round appearance—the first postseason of his career. Teammates voted him the club’s most improved player. Drysdale has stayed largely healthy the past two seasons after earlier injury issues earlier in his career.

Offseason focus and readiness

Drysdale has emphasized continued work on his shot (a point coach Rick Tocchet has highlighted), puck play, deceptiveness with the puck, skating, and overall strength/conditioning. He has spoken about having “a lot more in the tank,” higher expectations for the team after tasting the playoffs, and the group’s motivation to take another step.

“It’s definitely a relief… definitely relieved, and just thrilled, excited. It’s a place I want to play for for as long as I can, so just super excited that I got four more years,” Drysdale said after signing his extension.

In short, he enters the next season locked in as a top-four/right-shot option on a rising Flyers blue line, with contract security and a clear plan to build on last year’s progress. Training camp details will come later in the summer/fall.

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Gettin Gritty Wit It returns with another great episode, this time with Flyers Alum Behn Wilson.

Wilson and the gang (Yariv Wolok and Vasili Gianarakos) go over if the Flyers are tough enough to handle an 82 game grueling 2026-27 season.

This is a must watch, especially with a former Alum. Please like and subscribe to the channel.

The Flyers held their Community Caravan stop in Ocean City, NJ, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, and it was a dandy. My kids had a blast as they met Gritty and got some great giveaways, including a Gritty beach towel. Noah stumped Gritty and covered his face in a picture, while Dylan did the Gritty.

It ran from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Sport and Civic Center (6th Street and the Boardwalk). This was part of the team’s 10th annual Community Caravan presented by Xfinity, a free summer fan event series across the tri-state area leading into the 2026-27 season.

Fans could meet mascot Gritty, Flyers alumni, the Flyers Ice Team, and in-arena host Everett Jackson. Activities included hockey-themed games, and giveaways featured items such as Gritty beach towels, reusable tote bags, visors, slim koozies, phone hippers, and Gritty memo pads. A merch pop-up was also available at some stops.

There was a strong turnout, with fans in orange and black expressing optimism about the team after its recent playoff appearance and offseason moves. It marked the 10th straight year the caravan has visited Ocean City.

This fits the regular pattern of the Flyers’ Summer shore-area fan events.

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Nikita Grebenkin was re-signed on August 6, 2026, to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million total ($1.1 million AAV).

Grebenkin was a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) after his entry-level deal expired. The new contract covers the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons; he will remain an RFA afterward.

Key Background

• Position/age/size: Right wing (also plays LW), shoots left; born May 2, 2003 (age 23); 6’2, 210 lbs; from Serov, Russia.
• Draft/history: Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 5th round (135th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. He played in the KHL (including a Gagarin Cup win with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2024) before signing an ELC with Toronto. Traded to the Flyers on March 7, 2025 (with a conditional 1st-round pick) for Scott Laughton and draft picks.
• 2025-26 stats: 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 55 games with the Flyers (his first full NHL season), averaging about 11:17 TOI. He recorded 46 PIM and was noted for physical play/hits. Grebenkin missed the final 13 regular-season games and all playoffs due to an upper-body injury.
• Career NHL totals: 14 points in 62 games (mostly with Philadelphia; brief stint with Toronto).

I’m hearing Grebenkin has been progressing in rehab and is expected to be ready for Training Camp. The deal buys out two RFA years; he becomes arbitration-eligible when it expires.

This was one of the final pieces of the Flyers’ offseason roster work, now they just have to Re-Sign Hunter McDonald.

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Jamie Drysdale is well-positioned to build off his 2025-26 season with the Philadelphia Flyers.In 2025-26 he posted career highs with 8 goals and 3 game-winning goals while matching his previous best with 32 points (8G-24A) in 78 games. He averaged a career-high 21:33 of ice time, improved dramatically defensively (plus/minus jumped from –32 the prior year to –3), and ranked second among Flyers Defensemen in scoring. He also earned the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the team’s most improved player (voted by teammates).

In the playoffs he debuted with four points (2G-2A) in 10 games, becoming the fifth Defenseman in franchise history to score in his first postseason contest.

Key context on the leap:

• He stayed mostly healthy (missed just a handful of games) after earlier injury issues in his career.
• His two-way game improved noticeably—better gap control, positioning, and overall defensiveness—while the offensive tools (elite skating, puck-moving) remained.
• Head Coach Rick Tocchet and the staff showed growing trust in him in bigger minutes and situations.

In July 2026 the Flyers locked him in with a four-year, $26 million contract ($6.5 million AAV) after he reached restricted free agency. GM Daniel Briere said the team believes “his best hockey is still ahead of him” and that he’ll play an important role on the blue line as the club continues building. Drysdale himself has indicated there’s still more in the tank and that he wants to keep elevating his game.

“Still a lot more in the tank” after his strong 2025-26 season, Drysdale exclaimed after signing his new deal.

At age 24 (born April 8, 2002), coming off a clear step forward in production, defense, health, and consistency, plus a new multi-year deal and a Flyers team that made the playoffs, the trajectory points toward further growth in 2026-27 and beyond.

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In a city where the Eagles dominate the airwaves, the Phillies stay relevant through contention, and the Sixers just added LeBron James, the Flyers have to fight for oxygen.

The Flyers earned a real moment last season. After years of a rebuild slog and missing the playoffs since 2019-20, they made the postseason, pushed into the second round, and briefly owned the city’s attention with an underdog run that included a heated series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fans rediscovered some of that old Orange and Black energy, the Wells Fargo Center got loud again, and the organization leaned into it with thank-you messages and community pushes.

Now in the 2026 offseason they’re trying to keep that momentum from fading:

• Aggressive moves, including a big (ultimately matched) offer sheet to Leo Carlsson that General Manager Danny Brière openly framed as a signal to fans and players that they’re serious about improving.
• Long-term extensions for key pieces like Trevor Zegras, Tyson Foerster, Dan Vladar, and Jamie Drysdale.
• Depth additions and a continued emphasis on culture, fan experience, theme nights, and community work under the “New Era of Orange” / “Brick by Brick” messaging.

Philly sports attention is zero-sum most of the year. The Flyers’ recent playoff run bought them some goodwill and relevance; the current roster-building and marketing push is their attempt to make sure it doesn’t evaporate the second training camp for the other teams starts. Whether the on-ice product backs it up next season will decide if the city actually remembers.

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Tyson Foerster looks well-positioned for a bounce-back (and potentially breakout) 2026-27 season with the Flyers.

“They took me in when I was young. I went up in the ranks through Lehigh first. Everything about it. The fans, the city. It’s a great spot to play in, and I think we’re on the come up. So, it’s super exciting and I’m happy to be here, hopefully for the next nine years,” Foerster said in his presser following his re-signing.

2025-26 Season Recap

Foerster was off to a strong start before a significant injury:

• He led the Flyers with 10 goals in his first 21 games.
• On December 1, 2025, he suffered a right arm/shoulder injury (while taking a one-timer). He underwent successful surgery on December 15 and was sidelined for roughly four months.
• He returned on April 2 and finished the regular season with 29 GP, 13 G, 4 A, 17 points (+8). He added a key shootout goal that helped clinch the Flyers’ first playoff berth since 2020.
• In the playoffs (10 games), he had 1 goal as he worked his way back into form after the long absence.

The injury truncated what was shaping up as a strong year (he had been on roughly a 50-goal pace over a 30-game stretch dating back to the end of 2024-25).Current Status and OffseasonAs of early August 2026, Foerster is fully healthy and has had a complete summer to train — a contrast to the previous offseason, when he was recovering from elbow surgery.

In exit interviews and post-extension comments, he emphasized consistency and improvement:

• He wants a full healthy season after starting strong but being limited by injury.
• Focus areas include continued skating work (already much improved from early in his career), hands, getting to the net more, and overall quickness/reads.

On July 1, 2026, the Flyers signed him to an eight-year, $56.8 million extension ($7.1 million AAV) that begins in 2027-28. He will play 2026-27 on the final year of his prior bridge deal ($3.75 million). The organization views him as a core two-way power forward and leadership piece with significant goal-scoring upside.

Outlook

Expectations are high for a bounce-back campaign: a full season of the physical, two-way game he showed early in 2025-26, with the scoring touch that produced 13 goals in limited action. Staying healthy will be the key variable, but all available reporting indicates he is ready and motivated heading into the year.

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