Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere made one of the boldest moves of any NHL executive in recent memory earlier this offseason, extending a record-breaking offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson that Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek would ultimately match.
While Carlsson did not end up with the Flyers, Briere put the rest of the NHL on notice that he’s not afraid to go the bold route in order to get Philadelphia into Stanley Cup contention.
And in the meantime, Briere has taken care of an important matter of internal business, inking a 2022 sixth round draft pick to a contract.
Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere Has Re-Signed 2022 6th Round Draft Pick Hunter McDonald
On Tuesday, the Flyers announced that they’ve signed defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year, two-way/one-way contract with a salary cap hit of $912,500.
Philadelphia selected McDonald in the sixth round (165th overall pick) in the 2022 NHL Draft before signing him to a two-year entry-level contract in April 2024. He has since suited up 147 times for the American Hockey League affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, totaling four goals with 23 assists while later adding two goals in 13 Calder Cup Playoff appearances.
McDonald also got his first game of NHL experience under his belt earlier in the spring, debuting for the Flyers against the Montreal Canadiens on April 14, picking up his first point and also finishing with a plus-three rating.
He would also spend two seasons at Northeastern from 2022-24. He racked up 20 points, including two goals and 18 assists, while posting a plus-24 rating across 58 NCAA games.
Daniel Briere Knows His Offer Sheet For Leo Carlsson Made Waves Across The NHL
For Briere, he’s well aware that his bold offer sheet for Carlsson made waves around the NHL, and that he hopes his fellow executives realize that he’s serious about making the Flyers a Stanley Cup contender.
“It was noticed around the league,” he said. “What I hope, too, is that it’s noticed by our fans and by our players, that we’re serious.
“The players did their part last year. We’re trying to do ours. We’re going to keep trying to improve the team to give them the best chance to be a contender for years to come.”
Meanwhile, the Flyers did recently re-sign Leo Carlsson’s former Anaheim teammate Trevor Zegras, whom they acquired from the Ducks last summer, to a four-year extension.
“He wanted to prove to (head coach Rick Tocchet) ‘Tocc’ and to everybody in the organization that he’s more than that. He’s about winning,” Briere said. “He cares about this team. Even in this negotiation, he took charge. He’s the one that said, ‘I want to be in Philly. I love it here. I want to stay there.’
“That’s a big reason why this contract extension was done,” Briere continued. “Trevor was really involved and Trevor was adamant that he wanted to be in Philly. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit for how he carried himself last year, how he wants to prove to everybody that it’s not just about the clicks.”
Flyers Announce Contract For 24-Year-Old Defenseman