The Philadelphia Flyers have high expectations this offseason, after they made it to the second round of the playoffs. Considering the youth across the roster and in the prospect pipeline, as well as their draft capital, the Flyers have what it takes to make a big move. It appears they have done just that based on their actions last week.
The Flyers signed Anaheim Ducks center and restricted free agent Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet worth $18 million per year over five years. The Ducks have until July 10 to match the offer, or they will secure four first round picks over the next five years from the Flyers.
Kudos can be given to the Flyers and general manager Danny Briere for making such an aggressive move in an effort to improve the roster overall. The thing is, their offer to Carlsson would make him the highest paid player in the NHL in terms of annual salary. The annual salary the Flyers offered was significantly higher than what the Ducks were prepared to offer. In the process, it appears the Flyers have made some enemies across the league.
In the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noted that Briere is now "a target" of other NHL executives for his decision to sign Carlsson to a lucrative offer sheet. Friedman brings up that the Carolina Hurricanes have taken this route, but have made sure they kept their players. Friedman says that the Flyers need to be prepared to ensure they don't end up in the situation Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is dealing with currently.
Danny Briere put a target on his back after Leo Carlsson offer sheet
“They know that one day someone's coming after them, and they defend themselves. Philly will have to do the same thing. They will have to make sure, with guys who they really like, they are protected," says Friedman.
No matter what the intent was of the Flyers, any team that does this will have to be prepared and ensure they are not in a situation where one of their top young players is signed to an offer sheet. In that case, a team might decide to not get revenge, but to take a top young player away from Philadelphia.
The Flyers don't have to worry about this issue any time soon. Next year, Matvei Michkov is a restricted free agent, but it's currently not known if he will be in the Flyers' fans in the future. But in 2028, the Flyers will have the likes of Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Alex Bump set to hit restricted free agent. Then in 2029, Porter Martone would be the big one. So, with these players set to need new contracts in the near future, it will be up to Briere to ensure that he locks them into extensions before reaching that point.
They are seeing first hand what could happen if they don't. Verbeek is currently in a situation where he'll have to match the lucrative contract for Carlsson, more than what he was initially offering to the young center. Because of that, the Ducks will now see a significant chunk of their cap space go away if they are to match the Flyers' offer.
Regardless of what happens, the Flyers can use this as a learning experience.
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