The Philadelphia Flyers are going to have to open their checkbook this summer; Matvei Michkov's hot start to the 2026-2027 season has made his contract value skyrocket.
This is something that the Flyers likely prepared for; however, if the asking price is extremely high, Danny Briere can only blame himself. For those of you who don't remember, Briere signed Leo Carlsson from the Anaheim Ducks this past summer a record-breaking 5-year, $90 million offer sheet, which carries an $18 million AAV. Of course, the Ducks matched it, but it has since reset the entire NHL's salary landscape.
Now, flash forward just a few months later, and the Flyers find themselves in a situation where Michkov is due an extension and is having a career year, so it's not going to be cheap.
Flyers need to extend Michkov ASAP
There are plenty of seasons when a team shouldn't let one of their brightest young stars go unsigned until their contract year before hitting the open market as an RFA. For the Flyers, they need to realize that if he continues at this pace, his value isn't going to go down. He may never be cheaper than he is right now, and that could still be $12+ million per season.
So, it is imperative that they lock him up for the max seven-year term as soon as they can. It is clear that he is having a breakout season, and you need to bet on talent every time; Michkov clearly has a lot of it. So Briere needs to make this a top priority, so they have a hugepart fio their future signed long-term.
The other major reason that they need to lock Michkov up early is the fear of an offer sheet. It's evident that the Flyers and the Ducks have a front-office rivalry, and there is a good chance that if Michkov hits the open market on July 1 as an RFA, the Ducks take a chance.
Remember, Briere and the Flyers are half to blame for how much overhaul the rebuilding Ducks needed to do to their roster to make sure that Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier's contract fit under the cap. They had to make a number of moves, which resulted in a significantly weaker roster than they had last season, all because of an offer sheet. Now, it wasn't just Briere and the Flyers, Carlsson still had to accept the offer, which put pressure on the Ducks to make sure they could keep him.
So, why wouldn't the Ducks do the same thing to the Flyers? While Philadelphia doesn't have another RFA superstar due for an extension this season. Signing Michkov to a five-year, $100 million offer sheet that carries an AAV of $20 million. would make life rather difficult on the Flyers.
All this should be preface by saying that no one in a GM role should operate under the fear of something happening. But, for Briere, it seems like a hard thing to avoid, which is why he should try his best to get Michkov's extension done as early as he can and not let it drag out until July 1.
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