The Philadelphia Flyers disrupted the entire National Hockey League off-season last week when they announced they had signed Anaheim Ducks star Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $18 million AAV offer sheet, with the Ducks having one week to either match it, or let their 21-year-old star walk.
On Thursday, the Ducks made their official decision, matching the offer sheet, and thus leaving the Flyers empty handed as they continue to look for a young 1C that could lead them into the future. There’s still plenty of options out there, and after potentially sacrificing four first-round picks for Carlsson, the Flyers could remain active in offer sheet talks, but that may not be their next move according to Insiders.
Philadelphia Flyers not Expected to Give out Another Offer Sheet
GettyDaniel Briere, GM of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Currently, the Flyers center group is led by Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras and Noah Cates, with the team having a glaring hole on their top line, and given how aggressive the team were in pursuing Carlsson, many believed they’d do the same elsewhere after the Ducks matched their offer. However, according to reporter David Pagnotta, that is not the case, with the team likely not pivoting to the likes of Adam Fantilli or Connor Bedard, but instead they’ll roll forward with the group that they’ve already got.
“No plan B is my understanding, they’re not gonna pivot and go after Adam Fantilli or Connor Bedard or whomever else,” Pagnotta said.
If the team do want an immediate upgrade, there’s still some intriguing names out there in free agency, and with Zegras himself being a restricted free agent, the team will turn their attention to getting things sorted in house, especially given that Briere’s actions could lead to teams targeting Philly with an offer sheet.
How Will the Flyers Find Their 1C?
This has led to many questions over how the Flyers will end up finding their top-line center of the future, and while it’s possible they change their mind and pivot towards the likes of Fantilli or Bedard, the best route to upgrading down the middle remains the NHL Draft. Unfortunately for the Flyers, they’ve been less than stellar at finding NHLers of the future in the draft in recent years, with many criticizing the puzzling decisions the team continue to make, beyond Porter Martone in 2025, who is shaping up to be a very good player at the top level.
That leaves the team with no true path forward to turn themselves from an intriguing young team into genuine contenders, but with the likes of Dylan Larkin potentially available via trade, there’s options out there for GM Daniel Briere. Ultimately, the team took a major swing on Carlsson, and if it paid off, it would have been a masterstroke from Briere, but now, the team are left with a target on their back and no true 1C of the future, but given their aggressive move for Carlsson, don’t be shocked to see the Flyers try and take another big swing this off-season.
Flyers Plans Revealed Following Leo Carlsson Offer Sheet