There has been so much talk about the Leo Carlsson offer sheet “resetting” the NHL contract market.
Certainly, it’s debatable whether we would have seen Macklin Celebrini sign for $18 million and Cale Makar get $20 million had it not been for Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere being so aggressive this offseason.
But if you ask him, Briere doesn’t believe his overtures to land the Anaheim Ducks forward had any material impact on the market.
In a recent interview with RG Media, Briere downplayed the impact that the Leo Carlsson offer sheet had on the NHL contract market as a whole.
“The way I see it is, to me, it didn't change anything. That's where it was going all along.”
Briere does have a point. The NHL market was trending towards higher player salaries. But it’s also true that the offer sheet helped accelerate that process.
“Obviously, there are people that like to take the easy approach and just blame the Flyers for that. That’s a very simplistic approach. I don’t have a problem with it; we’re totally fine with that if that’s what they want to believe. But we all know, with the cap going up, what the agents work with now is the percentage of the cap.“
Yes, the prevailing narrative has been that the sudden spike in NHL player salaries is all Briere’s doing. But he is right in the sense that player agents were going to push the envelope amid the rising cap ceiling.
And that’s something no one can deny, regardless of whether they want to downplay the Leo Carlsson offer sheet or not.
Briere bullish that Flyers are better despite striking out on Leo Carlsson offer sheet
Even though the Leo Carlsson offer sheet didn’t ultimately work out for the Flyers, Briere feels bullish about his team. Briere addressed his impression of how this offseason’s additions will make the team better.
In particular, he pointed towards the situation in the crease actually improving after a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“The addition of (Joseph) Woll in net will really help us and probably help Dan Vladar, where hopefully we can have a tandem that can stay fresh with both guys having a chance to play a lot of games.”
Considering just how valuable Dan Vladar has become to the Flyers, adding a solid backup/tandem goalie like Woll should help reduce the wear and tear on Philly’s starting goalie.
But that’s just one area in which Briere manifested his optimistic outlook. He also pointed out another area in which he feels the team has improved.
“The additions of (Simon) Benoit and (David) Jiricek make us a little bigger on defense. We were a little small last season, so this will help with a little bit of not necessarily physicality, but just size on defense.“
Lastly, Briere singled out one key, under-the-radar free-agent signing who should make a significant impact on the team’s forward depth.
“Up front, the addition of Noel Acciari, who gave us a real tough time in the playoffs last year when we faced Pittsburgh, will bring some depth.”
It seems the Flyers, ultimately, should be a great team in 2026-27, Leo Carlsson offer sheet notwithstanding. The roster Daniel Briere has helped build has a strong combination of young talent and solid veteran leadership.
The Flyers will be looking to take that next step this season. And if they do, it will be bad news for the rest of the Metro Division.
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