Cam York, the Flyers’ defenseman, faced a challenging 2024-25 season marked by inconsistency and an injury that impacted his performance.
Despite a promising start, the 24-year-old struggled to regain his pre-injury form, leading to an up-and-down campaign. As he enters a healthy off-season, York aims to reset and build on his potential, focusing on conditioning and refining his two-way game. With his offensive instincts and defensive growth still evident, this off-season is critical for York to reclaim his trajectory as a cornerstone of the Flyers’ blue line, “i don’t feel like I had much of a leash,” York said of John Tortorella’s coaching. “At the end of the day, I played the level that I can, and that’s probably the most frustrating thing for me. You can say all you want about me and the coach, but I didn’t play good enough on my end.”
York’s approach to the 2024-25 offseason is pivotal as he heads into contract negotiations with the Flyers. Acknowledging his inconsistent play in the second half of the season, particularly after his injury, York’s self-awareness and accountability are encouraging signs. His willingness to own his performance dips and his handling of the situation with head coach John Tortorella demonstrate maturity, which could bode well for his development and contract discussions.
Of course, York’s confidence in his ability to return to a higher level of play—showcasing his offensive flair and defensive reliability—will likely drive his offseason training. As a restricted free agent, York’s next deal could reflect his potential as a top-pair defenseman if he proves he can consistently perform at his best, “For a little bit there, I was probably not one hundred percent, or where I needed to be physically,” York admits.
York continues, “It kind of sucks with the timing of it because for the first maybe 10 games, you’re getting your body ramped up for the season and getting your legs under yourself. I felt like I was kind of playing catch up after that, but our training staff did a good job. I’m excited to go into the offseason on a healthy note.”
The good thing is York knows he has to be better, as he offers no excuses for a bad second half of the season he will get a chance to go home, rebound with a healthy offseason in preparation of the 2025-26 season, “It’s really cool to play with a guy like that,” York said of playing with his best friend Jamie Drysdale. “We are both thinkers of the game. We are not overly physical, we use our legs more than anything, and think our way through problems, just a different style. It was cool with us being such good friends off the ice, on the ice, I think that helped us. It would be really good to revisit that next year.”
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Cam York scored 76pts in 70 games for the USNT U-18. In 20-21 he scored 20 pts in 26 games for the U of Michigan.
His Flyers career he averages 1pt every 3 games ( 77pts/235gms). Last year he averaged 1pt every 4 games ( 17pts. / 66 gms).
He should be scoring 40+ points a season. But his contract must reflect what he has done not what he will do.
Maybe 2 years 7.75 million total.