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Latest On Tyson Foerster

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The Philadelphia Flyers are at risk to start the season without top winger Tyson Foerster, after an elbow injury he sustained at the World Championships became infected. Foerster underwent surgery earlier this month and will further receive a follow-up MRI next week that should make his timeline clearer, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz.

The Flyers would have a major role to fill in Foerster wasn’t ready for the start of the year. He found a comfortable role on the team’s second-line and second-power play unit, but routinely stepped up as an X-factor for the team’s offense. He finished the season with 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Only Matvei Michkov (26) scored more goals than Foerster. The two could very well directly compete for top-line minutes next season, though Michkov would assume the runway should Foerster miss time.

Despite a potential top-six hole to fill, Kurz adds that Philadelphia likely won’t turn towards a veteran free agent for insurance. Instead, he expects they’ll lean on some of their young prospects, or a potential professional try-out during training camp. Philadelphia has a long list of top prospects who could win out an NHL role at training camp, headlined by Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and Alex Bump.

All three forward could offer interesting upside in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. The Flyers drafted Martone with the sixth-overall pick this year. He’s long been lauded as one of the top wingers in his age group, and managed 98 points in 57 OHL games this season, while serving as the Bramtpon Steelheads’ captain. He also appeared in three games at the World Junior Championship and two at the World Championships. His aggression and puck-handling could warrant a chance to make an immediate impact.

Luchanko did as much last year, making the Flyers’ roster out of camp and playing through his first four NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. He went on to score 56 points in 46 games as the captain of the Guelph Storm. He finished his year with 16 games, and nine points, in the AHL. Luchanko more often fills the center role, but can be rotated to right-wing. He’d be a hard-nosed addition to Philadelphia’s mix of skill in the bottom-six.

Bump may offer the most unique upside, though. The left-wing is coming off a starring role in Western Michigan University’s run to their first NCAA National Championship. He recorded 23 goals, 47 points, and a plus-11 in 42 games during the run. It was a major step up after Bump scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman last year. He finished his season with five points across nine games with Lehigh Valley. He’s a former fifth-round pick, compared to first-rounders Martone and Luchanko, but could make the same push with the momentum of a strong season.

All three young forwards would have to earn their jump to the NHL roster with an impressive training camp. Should they underwhelm, the Flyers are hopeful enough about Foerster’s outlook to not look beyond a minor addition. That will set Foerster up for a clear return to the Flyers’ top-six as soon as he’s back to full health. He faces an uphill battle in repeating his 17.6 shooting percentage from last season, but he has a track record of finding more goals than assists. He scored 20 goals and 33 points in 77 games as a rookie in 2023-24, with a 12.0 shooting percentage.

Afternoon Notes: Byram, Gulyayev, Bump

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The Buffalo Sabres are presently at risk of losing restricted-free agent defenseman Bowen Byram to the heaps of interest from around the league. He has been mentioned as a candidate for an offer sheet or trade, with a heap of Western Conference teams swirling around both options. The Sabres have already expressed their intent to match any offer sheet that comes across their desk, though Sean McIndoe of The Athletic points out an important contingency to that idea in his latest newsletter. Matching an offer sheet would only set Buffalo up to repeat this song-and-dance again next season, when Byram would be just one year removed from unrestricted-free agency. They’d be better off making a decision about him sooner rather than later, unless their intent is to push Byram back onto Rasmus Dahlin’s side.

That could end up a lucrative approach for the Sabres. Byram posted 38 points and nearly 23 minutes in average ice time – both career-highs – while playing in Buffalo’s top-four last season. His overall performances left many wanting more, but the then-23-year-old Byram seemed to add a layer of smooth confidence to his overall game. A full year, and 100 games, of familiarity in the Sabres lineup could be enough to set up a breakout campaign next year – though all updates seem to point towards a split being inevitable. Buffalo will need to be careful with their handling of Byram. Their decisions over the next few weeks will be among the biggest headlines through the remaining summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Colorado Avalanche Director of Player Development Brian Willsie shared that the club is hoping that defense prospect Mikhail Gulyayev will come over from Russia at the end of the 2025-26 seaosn, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. Gulyayev played through his second full year in the KHL this season – notching seven goals and 15 points in 67 games played. He added an additional three points in 13 postseason games. The total year falls closely in line with the 15 points that Gulyayev scored in 76 total games last year. He’s among the team’s top prospects, and is their most recent first-round selection still on the roster. Getting that kind of talent overseas and in a Colorado jersey will be important priority as the Avalanche look to stay fresh through the next few years.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers intend to give top prospect Alex Bump every chance to make the team’s roster out of training camp, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Bump was the motor to Western Michigan University’s engine last season, and managed 23 goals and 47 points in 42 games as the Broncos pushed for to their first national championship in school history. Bump was just as impressive last season, when he scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman. He finished the year with nine total games in the AHL, where he scored five points. He’s a high-energy and physical winger who seems bound for success at the next level.

Flyers Sign Devin Kaplan, Alex Bump To Entry-Level Contracts

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5:03 p.m.: Like Kaplan’s, PuckPedia reported Bump’s contract details:

2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Performance “A” bonus
2027-28: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $1MM Performance “A” bonus

1:35 p.m.: The Flyers confirmed Kaplan’s deal and Bump’s.

11:05 a.m.: The Flyers are signing forward prospects Devin Kaplan and Alex Bump to entry-level contracts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Kaplan’s contract begins immediately, while Bump will finish the season on a tryout with AHL Lehigh Valley before his ELC goes into effect for 2025-26. It will be three-year deals for both, so Kaplan’s contract runs through 2026-27, while Bump’s takes him through 2027-28. Kaplan’s deal has the following breakdown with a $922K cap hit, per PuckPedia:

2024-25: $855K salary (prorated), $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $800K salary, $95K SB, $55K GP bonus
2026-27: $825K salary, $95K SB, $30K GP bonus

Kaplan and Bump are both coming off appearances in the NCAA national championship game, although they were on different sides of the coin. Bump helped lead Western Michigan to its first title in program history while Kaplan was on the losing end with Boston University. The 2022 draft picks aren’t among the premier pieces in the Flyers’ prospect pool, but they’re intriguing pickups nonetheless. Kaplan went early in the third round at No. 69 overall out of the U.S. National Development Team Program, while Bump was a fifth-rounder from the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.

The 21-year-old Kaplan has a pro-ready frame, checking into the Flyers’ roster at 6’3″ and 201 lbs. The New Jersey-born right-winger is coming off his junior season at BU, but it wasn’t necessarily one to write home about. His 10-8–18 scoring line in 38 games equated to the worst points per game rate of his college career, and his minus-eight rating was a career-low and second-worst on the team.

While Kaplan could make his NHL debut over Philadelphia’s final two games of the regular season, it’s likely ill-advised to pencil him in on the Flyers’ opening night roster for 2025-26 after that stagnating development to end his time in college. The 2023 Hockey East champion wraps up his Terriers career with 25-39–64 in 115 games with 148 PIMs and a +16 rating. Philadelphia will look to get his offensive production back up in the AHL next season while continuing to develop him as a potential bottom-six energy piece down the road.

Despite being selected two rounds after Kaplan, Bump begins his pro career as the far more offensively accomplished winger in college. Bump, a 6’0″ lefty, served as an alternate captain for the Broncos this year and led the club in scoring as a sophomore with 23-24–47 in 42 games. That came after a 36-point freshman effort in 38 games, so he ends his NCAA tenure over a point per game. That puts him 13th in the country in scoring over the past two years.

He’s still only the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Flyers’ system (per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic), but he should be set for a top-six role in the AHL out of the gate next year. An NHL call-up in the first half of his ELC shouldn’t be out of the question considering his collegiate track record, which now includes NCHC Forward of the Year honors, conference tournament MVP and First All-Star Team.

Flyers Prospect Alex Bump Commits To Western Michigan

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While he had originally committed to play at Vermont, Flyers prospect Alex Bump has already transferred before playing a single game.  Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now relays that the winger will now play for Western Michigan next season.  The reason for the transfer pertained to Vermont dismissing head coach Todd Woodcroft earlier this summer.

The 19-year-old was selected in the fifth round last year (133rd overall) after splitting the season between the Minnesota high school level and Omaha of the USHL.  His performance with Prior Lake High earned him USA Today’s Hockey Player of the Year honors that season.

Bump then spent last year with the Lancers for part of the campaign before being dealt to Tri-City back in February.  Between the two teams, he picked up 14 goals and 19 assists in 48 games.

It has been a successful summer on the transfer front for the Broncos.  Bump is the fourth NHL-drafted player to transfer there in recent months, joining forwards Sam Colangelo (Anaheim), Ethan Phillips (Detroit), and Matteo Costantini (Buffalo).

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