Briere defends the Flyers' aggressive $90-million gamble on Carlsson against discussion of the lasting effects.
The Philadelphia Flyers instantly became the story of the 2026 offseason when they signed Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet on July 3, and while they were acting in their own best interests, that made them a villain in the eyes of many fans, some in the media, and maybe people within the NHL, too.
Because Carlsson is now locked in at an $18 million cap hit for the next five years, the most commonly levied criticism against GM Danny Briere and the Flyers is that, with this offer sheet, the league got ruined.
The salary cap is rising, yes, but the belief became that the Flyers disproportionately accelerated the process and made the free agent market--and players similarly young and talented to Carlsson--even more bold and ravenous.
If that is a view you hold, know that Briere fundamentally disagrees with you.
In a recent interview with RG's Andrew Knoll, Briere shared his take on those criticisms and overall view on the potential impact around the NHL.
"The way I see it is, to me, it didn't change anything. That's where it was going all along. 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," Briere told Knoll.
"You can go back, and the percentages are very similar to what they were for years. It's just that now, the cap has increased tremendously, and quickly, the last couple years. Someone’s going to get that money somewhere. It was just a matter of time. Honestly, I don't think some of the players that signed the big tickets would have signed for less even without the offer sheet. So, no, I don’t believe it played much of a factor."
How Flyers' Carlsson offer sheet compares to other stars
(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images)Carlsson, 21, briefly became the NHL's highest-paid player with his $18 million cap hit, but San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini surpassed that just over three weeks later with his five-year, $94 million deal that came with an $18.8 million cap hit.
Yes, Carlsson and Celebrini are talented, but Celebrini is on another level entirely and still pulled in less than $1 million more per year. To Briere's point, Carlsson's offer sheet accounts for 17.3% of the cap, while Celebrini's is a slightly more modest 16.6%.
Of course, on Friday, superstar defenseman Cale Makar signed his big deal with the Colorado Avalanche, raking in an eye-watering $20.4 million cap hit (18% of the cap) on an eight-year, $163.2 million extension with the Colorado Avalanche.
So, based on just these recent, low-hanging-fruit comparisons, Briere is correct in his assessment. The main difference between Makar and Celebrini and Carlsson is that Makar, 27, is an older, established star with a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and two Norris Trophies under his belt who took longer term, signing for eight years compared to five.
What happens next for the Flyers at the center position after missing out on Carlsson, whose offer sheet was eventually and expectedly matched by the Ducks, is unclear.
Briere, however, reminds you that Carlsson "wanted to come to Philly as well. He was excited, he believed in our team, and he’s a pretty exciting young player."
