In Week 5 of the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2025-26 season, they moved to an 8-5-2 record, good for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. For this edition of Flyers News & Rumors, we look at Christian Dvorak’s trade value, Owen Tippett’s slump and look at some prospects for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Dvorak increases trade value
When Dvorak was signed to a one-year contract worth $5.4 million this offseason, most fans around the league saw it as an overpayment. Penalty-killing third-line forwards don’t have much command, even if the Flyers were simply maximizing their excess cap space. Today they laugh at the bank.
Through fifteen games, Dvorak has three goals and six assists for nine points on exactly 17 minutes of average ice time. The 29-year-old is an all-situation forward who can play anywhere in the lineup; head coach Rick Tocchet has really leaned on him.
Since the Flyers own a wild card spot, their options are open. Dvorak, under an expiring deal, could have his salary withheld by Philadelphia and be traded to a contender for draft capital. Or the Flyers could keep him in an attempt to end their five-season playoff drought.
In the past, general manager Daniel Brière has opted for the former. Sean Walker was a key top-four defenseman for Philadelphia in 2023-24 amid a playoff push, but he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that included a 2025 first-round draft pick.
Should Dvorak’s play yield a first-round pick at the March 6 trade deadline, we may see the same thing happen. But whatever happens, a move once considered questionable is paying off big time for the Orange and Black.
Tippett slump; Extension looks questionable
Let’s move on to a decision that is not aging too well. On January 26, 2024, winger Owen Tippett received an eight-year, $49.6 million contract extension from the Flyers. The deal is now two years old and his points production has taken a significant dip in successive campaigns.
| Season | Contract year | Target pace (per 82) | Point pace (per 82) |
| 2023–24 | N/A | 29.4 | 55.7 |
| 2024–25 | Year 1 of 8 | 21.3 | 45.8 |
| 2025–26 | Year 2 of 8 | 27.3 | 32.8 |
After scoring five goals in his first six games this season, Tippett has scored nine consecutive goals without finding the back of the net. Only on pace for just over 30 points if he plays an 82-game slate, that’s somewhat concerning for a player making $6.2 million annually until age 33.
Related: NHL Rumors: Kyrou’s Future, Devils Defensemen & Tippett to the Kings?
The good news is that Tippett has always been somewhat streaky. The bad news is that he probably never “grows into” that big payday. Philadelphia has added forwards Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras to the roster since the deal started counting against the salary cap, but the 26-year-old winger has only regressed.
Originally, some thought Tippett could become a consistent 30-goal, 60-point player with better linemates. But right now it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. While the NHL’s rising salary cap could mitigate this, Brière could still take this one back if he could.
Phantoms Prospect check-in
The Phantoms, and especially their prospects, have increased dramatically recently. Let’s take a quick dive into three players: Denver Barkey, Carson Bjarnason and Christian Kyrou.
On November 5, Barkey had a four-point game against the Bridgeport Islanders. The 20-year-old winger has two goals and five assists in twelve American Hockey League (AHL) games. He gets top-six looks, showing his hard-working presence. I imagine he graduates from the AHL relatively quickly.
In the same match, Bjarnason delivered a strong performance: 35 saves on 37 shots on his way to a 6-2 victory. With a .918 save percentage, a 2.52 goals-against average and a 3-1-1 record as a 20-year-old rookie, his future looks bright.
Kyrou, unlike the other two, is not a Flyers drafted talent; he’s someone the team just traded for. Acquired from the Dallas Stars with winger Samu Tuomaala going the other way is a move that is paying off. In four games, the 22-year-old defender has one goal and six assists. He has an NHL ceiling.
Some highlights from a match with 3 assists from Christian Kyrou (TEX15) last season. Today taken over by PHI
He does retrieves, tries stretch passes, jumps on the rush, fairly active in the OZ. Gets PP looks regularly
Like smaller D, not very physicalpic.twitter.com/bokhtADfjP
— Justin Giampietro (@justingiam) October 30, 2025
The Flyers have a three-game week ahead of them against the slumping Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues before visiting the rising stars. Getting at least two wins should, in theory, help cement their status as a playoff contender in the East.
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