Noah Cates re-signed with the Flyers on a four-year, $16 million contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million, as the team announced today June 3, 2025.
This deal is largely viewed as a solid value for the Flyers, given Cates’ two-way play and versatility. The 26-year-old center, who could have become a Restricted Free Agent, had a career-high 16 goals and 37 points (16g-21a) in 78 games during the 2024-25 season, ranking seventh on the team in points and fifth in goals.
His plus-three rating was second-best on the club, highlighting his defensive reliability. This is a great deal for a strong third-line forward and penalty-kill contributor, securing three potential unrestricted free agent years. The structure of Cates’s contract includes signing bonuses in the first two years ($1.25M and $1M) and salaries of $3.75M, $3M, $4M, and $3M over the four years.
Cates’s deal includes no no-move clause (NMC). This lack of trade protection is indeed advantageous for the orange and black, especially in a salary cap era where roster flexibility is critical for rebuilding teams like the Flyers.
The Flyers’ strategy of re-signing restricted free agents (RFAs) like Cates—and recently Tyson Foerster (two years, $7.5 million, $3.75 million AAV) and Helge Grans (two years, $787,500 AAV)—before they officially hit RFA status on July 1, 2025, reflects proactive cap management. By locking in these players early, Flyers’ General Manager Danny Brière avoids arbitration risks, potential offer sheets from other teams, and the uncertainty of drawn-out negotiations, which could inflate costs or disrupt planning. This approach signals the Flyers are carefully assessing their cap space—currently around $19 million for the 2025-26 season with four roster spots to fill—to pursue additions via trades, free agency, or even offer sheets, given their stockpile of three first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
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