Cam York is staying with the Philadelphia Flyers.
According to multiple sources, the Flyers and the 24-year-old have agreed to a five-year, $25.75 million contract. This bridge deal brings positives for each party. For Philadelphia, it can judge York as the surrounding cast improves and his game matures. For York, he will have another shot at a long-term deal before turning 30 years old, a key incentive for any young player.
York has been a solid, two-way defenseman for the Flyers since debuting in the 2020-21 season. Originally a University of Michigan product, Philadelphia selected York 14th overall in the 2019 Draft.
The Flyers have not made the playoffs since implementing York, and it is often difficult to judge a defenseman on a bad team. However, York has still blossomed into a legitimate top-two pairing guy, recording the second-highest average time on ice among Philadelphia’s skaters last year (20:47).
Along with Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale, York will be expected to lead this unit out of the dark days and back to relevancy. While it has been a difficult stretch for the Flyers lately, a talented pool of younger players headlined by Matvei Michkov, Bobby Brink, the aforementioned defensemen, and recently drafted Porter Martone should provide the fans with optimism.
General manager Danny Brière has not fully turned the ship around in his two years at the helm, but Philadelphia appears to be headed in the right direction.
Solidifying foundational pieces like York will be crucial in the coming years. Now, they should look for goaltending support to complement Samuel Ersson.
