The Philadelphia Flyers may still have business to do with their two most important free agents, but their recent arbitration filings may prove beneficial in the end.
On Sunday, ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline, young Flyers stars Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale each filed for arbitration, which means a third party will determine the salary for the two players on their next contracts.
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One each side makes its case, the arbitrator will make a binding ruling within two days.
However, the Flyers, Drysdale, and Zegras can always agree to new contracts before that takes place, and given Flyers general manager Danny Briere’s confidence that new deals would get done heading into the offseason, this feels like the most likely scenario for both players.
And there’s another catch that helps the Flyers.
Now that Drysdale and Zegras have elected arbitration, they are both ineligible for offer sheets, which completely neutralizes the threat of another NHL team using one against the Flyers.
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The Flyers, of course, got that party started with their massive $90 million offer sheet of budding Anaheim Ducks star Leo Carlsson… who was once teammates with Zegras and Drysdale.
Funny how that worked out, right?
Earlier in the week, Daily Faceoff NHL insider Anthony Di Marco reported that Drysdale’s next contract “seems” to be trending towards a medium-term three- or four-year deal worth $6.25 million annually, which is what Flyers teammate Travis Sanheim is currently costing against the salary cap annually on his deal.
It is less clear where things currently stand with Zegras, though the expectation throughout the year has been a long-term deal that would cost the Flyers somewhere between $8- and $9 million against the cap annually.
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Additionally, it is worth noting that both Drysdale and Zegras are two seasons away from becoming unrestricted free agents, so the Flyers, at worst, will buy themselves some time to adjust to Carlsson’s $18 million cap hit if their bid is ultimately successful.
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