The Flyers signed Tyson Foerster to a new two-year, $7.5 million contract Thursday afternoon.
The bridge deal has an average annual value of $3.75 million. Foerster will remain a restricted free agent when it expires. He was coming off his three-year entry-level contract that he signed not long after the Flyers selected him at 23rd overall in the 2020 NHL draft.
"I love it here, it's great to play here and the guys are great," Foerster said at his end-of-the-season press conference in April. "I just want to get better every day, really. It could be a short-term deal, it could be long term, but whatever it is, I'm happy to be here."
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Foerster has grown into a key foundation piece for the Flyers. The 23-year-old winger was second on the team this season with 25 goals after putting up 20 as a rookie last year.
"You can tell he's a goal scorer," Samuel Ersson said in April. "You see that he's one of the toughest guys to stop in practice."
Foerster helped form one of the Flyers' most effective lines this season with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. With time and work, Foerster became more than just a goal-scoring prospect. He has turned into a 200-foot forward.
"I think he has always been marked as an offensive guy, a scorer," former interim head coach Brad Shaw said in April. "I've been impressed with how he has added to the defensive side with the penalty kill, with how responsible that line plays 5-on-5. We put them out there regularly against the other team's top unit and they do a fantastic job."
Philadelphia Flyers
Find the latest Philadelphia Flyers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Philadelphia.
With 43 points, Foerster finished tied for fourth on the Flyers. His 17.6 shooting percentage was best on the club and he was one of three Flyers to record a hat trick.
Foerster had slow starts in each of the last two seasons but still combined for 45 goals.
"At the start of the year, I struggled again, I've got to start figuring that out, for sure," he said. "Coming down the stretch, I think I was playing well and my linemates really helped me with that."
Even though Foerster has the chance to get much better and set himself up for a bigger pay increase come the 2027 offseason, the Flyers have to like that he'll still be a restricted free agent. His cap hit is fair and reasonable for a team that wants to start adding to its roster this summer and the next.
The Flyers also have restricted free agents Cam York, Noah Cates and Jakob Pelletier to re-sign this offseason.
For Foerster, in a couple of seasons, he has the opportunity to earn much more term and money.