The Flyers couldn’t have entered the holiday break any better. After letting two games get away from them, they rebounded with two regulation wins to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division at the break.
In their return, the momentum faded in a loss to the Seattle Kraken. So, in the eight games that close the December schedule, the Flyers are now 3-2-1 through six games with two more to go before the calendar turns to 2026.
With two games left in 2025, here are my observations from this week. Here’s this week’s Flyers Files:
Dvorak Extension on the Way?
Christian Dvorak was more of an under-the-radar offseason move for the Flyers. Trevor Zegras’ acquisition in a trade drew more headlines. Dan Vladar’s play has so far exceeded expectations that it’s made it the signing of the offseason for the Flyers.
But Dvorak has been pretty steady all season with eight goals and 24 points in 36 games.
It’s always been a question of whether Dvorak had more of a future in Philadelphia than the one-year deal her signed or if he could be on the move at the trade deadline this season. As the Flyers position themselves for a possible playoff run, the latter seems less likely.
Over the weekend, the idea that a possible extension could be in the works formulated quickly. On Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman noted that the Flyers and Dvorak are already working toward an extension and that league sources don’t expect Dvorak to hit the market.
This drew mostly negative reviews on social media from Flyers fans. After all, Dvorak isn’t the player you typically sign for more years in the midst of a rebuild. He turns 30 in February, and while he’s on pace for the highest point total of his career, it does seem to go against typical rebuilding philosophy.
But here’s where the Flyers are likely coming from with a possible extension. The Flyers are very thin at the center position. Currently, it’s Dvorak, Sean Couturier, Noah Cates, and Rodrigo Abols. And based on what’s going on both in the organization and around the league, there’s no immediate improvement coming.
The first thought was that free agency would bring in some big-name players to improve the Top-6 centermen on the roster. But a once-robust 2026 free-agent class has dried up. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are off the market. Even most of the big-name wingers on the market have mostly re-signed. The center market is so thin via free agency that Dvorak is already one of the top two or three names potentially available.
In addition to a lack of options via free agency, there’s a good chance the Flyers have a sense that there won’t be much of a market to trade for a center, either, thus further limiting options. They have long been rumored to be looking to add a center already, even with Dvorak here for the 2025-26 season, and may already know the task they face.
And, it likely means that they know there is no one in the system ready to jump into a significant role any time soon. Jett Luchanko is probably the closest of the center prospects, with eight NHL games under his belt, but could use some time in the AHL to continue to grow his game. So if Luchanko isn’t being penciled into the 2026-27 lineup yet, the Flyers have to be thinking about potential stopgaps already.
Other prospects like Jack Berglund and Jack Nesbitt are certainly years away, so while they could figure to be a key part of the Flyers’ future, their time isn’t in the foreseeable future.
It would depend on the term and cap hit, but keeping Dvorak may be one of the Flyers’ best options to maintain some center depth…even if it isn’t the most popular decision among the fan base.
Finishing the Road Trip Strong
The two wins before the holiday break brought the Flyers record back to a respectable 3-1-1 over five games with three to go in December. The current road trip the Flyers are on – technically five games starting with last Tuesday in Chicago – is off to a 1-1-0 start.
The Flyers still have stops to make in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton before returning home. Two more wins, particularly before New Year’s Day, would give the Flyers a 5-2-1 record in the eight games to close out 2025. That was the record I was thinking would be enough to stake their claim to a permanent spot in the playoff race.
Of course, now that they suffered a 4-1 loss to Seattle on Sunday, there is no margin for error in the next two games. They need wins in both to reach that five-win mark in the final eight games of 2025. And they get to open 2026 with a meeting against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers.
By this time next week, as the Flyers prepare to return home, they could make a huge statement about their place in the standings, or they could leave plenty of doubt. Sunday’s game didn’t help announce their presence further. They have three more chances at that before coming home.
Is Zamula on the Way Out?
Christian Dvorak wasn’t the only player mentioned by Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada. Egor Zamula’s name also came up, but for a much different reason.
Zamula was placed on waivers and cleared last week, going to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of the roster freeze for the holiday break. Now that Rasmus Ristolainen is back in the lineup, Emil Andrae has announced his presence as a lineup regular, and Noah Juulsen has moved into the seventh defenseman role, Zamula was essentially the odd-man out.
It appears Zamula’s time with the Flyers may be nearing an end. Friedman reported that Zamula shares an agent with Alexandre Texier, who recently joined the Montreal Canadiens after having his contract terminated by Columbus.
The same thing could happen with Zamula. The Flyers prefer a trade, an attempt to get something in return for a player they feel could be called up in the event of injury or help the minor-league team out. But it wouldn’t be shocking to discover that both sides are parting ways without much fanfare. It’s something to keep an eye on in the coming days.
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.
Philadelphia Flyers Uniforms Through The Years