The Philadelphia Flyers took a huge leap forward in 2025/26 in their first season under Head Coach Rick Tocchet, and after a series win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’re hoping to take another step in 2026/27 with this young, ascending core.
As evidenced by their moves this off-season, the team are still seeking that young No. 1 center that could help take them to the Stanley Cup Finals, but with their young core, they have immense upside heading into the new year. Now, the team have moved to extend one of those key pieces, with the team announcing a two-year extension for a player they acquired the year before from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Nikita Grebenkin Signs Two-Year Extension in Philadelphia
GettyNikita Grebenkin of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The talented young winger in question is Nikita Grebenkin, once one of the most exciting prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, but in a deal for Scott Laughton, the team landed the young winger and a first-round pick in a deal that looks fantastic for the Flyers.
While he spent the first season of his Flyers tenure with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL, he moved to the NHL full-time with the organization in 2025/26, and clearly, they liked what they saw. So much so that on Thursday, the Flyers took to social media to announce a two-year extension for Grebenkin, locking the 23-year-old in for a further two seasons.
The deal carries an annual average value of $1.1 million, and given the upside that he’s shown, posting 4 goals and 14 points in 55 games of his rookie campaign, it’s easy to see why they gave him a two-year extension to prove that he can be a key piece of the middle-six in the years to come.
Can the Flyers Build on a Successful 2025/26 Season?
Beyond Grebenkin, the team are building around a core led by Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras, and if all of them can continue to develop the potential that they’ve already shown at the NHL level, this could be a team that competes for years to come, even in an incredibly competitive Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division.
Clearly, the biggest hole in the organization is that 1C spot, and while Grebenkin doesn’t fill that, given the limited risk and potentially high upside of a $1.1 million deal especially in a world where the salary cap continues to go up and up, this could end up being a great deal, with the Flyers themselves having immense salary cap flexibility.
Ultimately, as a former fifth-round draft pick, any type of production that the Flyers can get out of Grebenkin, especially at the $1.1 million price tag, it would end up being an absolute steal for a team that’s struggled to build a true contender for years now, but in the 23-year-old, the upside remains if he’s given the right opportunities in Philadelphia.
Flyers Make Major Announcement on Second Year NHL Winger