Greg Wyshynski Oct 1, 2026, 08:00 AM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN's senior NHL writer. VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the NHL's genuine surprises last season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and advancing to the second round. General manager Danny Briere had overseen their rebuild since 2023. "Brick by brick," he said. "Not trying to get ahead of ourselves."
But this offseason the Flyers attempted to buy someone else's furnished mansion. They signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, 21, to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. The Ducks matched it, depriving the Flyers of a potential franchise center. Briere said, "You do what's right for your team." New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta noted the taboo of offer sheets: "Someone actually did it."
Carlsson's $18 million annual cap hit reset the bar, affecting Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier's contract. Gauthier was drafted by the Flyers but traded after refusing to play for Philadelphia. A theory emerged that ownership greenlit the offer sheet as vengeance. Briere denied targeting the Ducks: "My job's a lot more important than trying to get back at people."
Philadelphia center Trevor Zegras was excited by the bold move. "Love the direction that we're headed," he said. But the Flyers stumbled into this season with a 7-0 loss to the Penguins.
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing