It was done only a handful of times. And while rarely successful, each time it made headlines. However, most believed the 32 National Hockey League general managers would play nice in the sandbox, adhering to some unexplained or unwritten decorum that they would treat each other fairly and respectfully. And certainly not try to use any leverage they might have in order to strongarm any of their compatriots. You just didn’t do that, right? After all, what would people say?
Well, apparently, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere didn’t get the message last week. And he clearly doesn’t give a toss. Briere might be small in stature, but he is now looking like a game-changing executive, the likes of which the NHL hasn’t seen since the salary cup era was introduced decades ago. With Friday’s mammoth offer sheet to Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson of five years and $90 million, including a reported $39 million in Carlsson’s pockets in the first 12 months of the contract, Briere has done more for the National Hockey League Players Association than anyone running the show there now. Briere has followed the letter of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement to a science, front-loading the deal before that option is phased out in a few months, while also giving Carlsson some clout (should Anaheim match) by giving him a full No Movement Clause in the fifth year of the deal before he hits unrestricted free agency. At age 26, no less!
So, while there’s a better than 50 per cent chance that Anaheim’s general manager Pat Verbeek, ponies up the cash to keep Carlsson a Duck, Briere has altered Anaheim’s cap structure dramatically going forward. Carlsson agreed to the deal, that’s the only way the offer sheet mechanism works. So he’ll be paid regardless where he’s at. However, in the bigger picture, both the elite players in the league, and the general managers they negotiate with, have to realize that there is at least one team (and possibly more) that will do whatever it takes to land a star player. And through that, the days of a star player taking a “hometown discount” for the team seems old-fashioned and passe. The $18 million per year is the highest in the league, and $5.5 million more per year than Connor McDavid’s average annual value. And a million more than Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, who was the highest paid player for all of two or three days.
What makes this so different versus other offer sheets
Aside from the sheer amount of money that is heading Carlsson’s way, Briere’s offer sheet has created a new, unknown path for both players and clubs moving forward. While a lot of teams such as Montreal and even Philadelphia tried their best to lock up as many of their respective young forwards as possible, a rising salary cap means more players are going to want more money, particularly those who most people buy tickets to see. You know who they are, you see the jerseys everywhere when they’re not getting screen time in highlights or post-game interviews.
Prior to the Carlsson offer sheet, the last one (well two) of any note was in August 2024 when St. Louis made offer sheets to two Oiler players: forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg. The Oilers didn’t match either offer, and both players became members of the Blues. The offers? Well, still a combined $11 million and change shy of what the Flyers agreed on with Carlsson. It might have been news, but for a pair of players who are noteworthy only because of the offer sheet, very little of what they did since.
So, the Briere deal is historic for a variety of reasons, perhaps none more than the fact Carlsson is only 21. And has three seasons under his belt. He’s not even close to getting into his proverbial prime years, which is probably another contract away now. He’s incredibly young to receive this deal. Some might argue the 1998 offer sheet Carolina gave to Sergei Fedorov is comparable. However, Fedorov was nearing 30 when that offer sheet was made, years removed from being a youngster with the Red Wings. As a result, when Leo Carlsson is making that amount, it’s only natural that the likes of San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Chicago’s Connor Bedard — both of who are now restricted free agents — are going to want a similar amount. And if they don’t get it, then maybe a handful of other teams will. This is where things begin to get far more interesting. As well as a lot more unpredictable.
Whatever happens in Anaheim this coming week will be an alarm to any general manager who believes they can coax, or feel a young player under contract is simply going to bide his time waiting for his big pay day. Carlsson would have been foolish to not sign on the dotted line, and is now most likely set for life if not the next five years at least. If Celebrini’s camp is looking at this, how can they then not ask for something that is comparable or more considering the numbers Celebrini has racked up compared to Carlsson. The same scenario applies for Bedard, and moving ahead to a few years from now, Toronto’s current darling Gavin McKenna. The idea that any young highly-talented player is going to fall in line because the team’s best player is making $9 million or $10 million a year is gone. Briere has destroyed that concept completely with Carlsson’s help.
However, with that possible reward comes a helluva lot of risk for either Briere or Verbeek depending on how this unfolds.
Pressure falls squarely on the GMs
Although comparing the National Basketball Association revenue with the NHL’s is apples and oranges. More like a cauldron of gold and oranges. Despite the vast differences in money, the NBA stars (and the middle of the road players) are now having far more clout in terms of movement, contracts, and where they see fit to play. That’s not to say Carlsson or McDavid or anyone else is heading for a $35 to $40 million annual average value anytime soon. What the offer sheet does is give players of that star power like McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar and others the chance to see who the highest bidder might be. There is one NHL team putting contracts on hold for a week or more essentially to see how this plays out with Carlsson. Meanwhile the other is trying to figure out how to pay Carlsson without addressing vital needs on defense. That hasn’t happened in the NHL for some time. And certainly not since the cap era came into effect.
With those big swings comes a much bigger gamble. Briere is showing his cards, believing Carlsson is the piece that will take Philadelphia to the next level of contending now and, ideally, to the promised land in a far shorter period than expected. If he’s wrong, or should Carlsson not develop into anything more than a 60-point to 70-point center, then Briere swung at a 55-mile-an-hour changeup, not the 100-plus heater he was anticipating. That’s not to say it will happen, as Carlsson checks all the boxes Philadelphia and Briere were searching for. It’s the other side of the coin that would loom large. Trying to sweep $18 million under the rug is impossible. Regardless of the outcome, this is the contract or move that will define Briere’s tenure for decades if Carlsson is a Flyer later this week.
One other point, which ties into the offer sheet concept, is that general managers are now going to be thinking twice as hard about playing hardball with their players, particularly on their second contracts. Had Verbeek agreed to a $10 million a year deal with Carlsson this time last year, he’s a Duck for the next eight years almost guaranteed. By trying to look tough, Verbeek looks ridiculous now, trying to figure out how everything is going to fit without Anaheim taking a step or two back this year. It’s also a signal for other general managers that they have to perhaps weigh on the side of caution in trying to keep their core players happy and well-compensated. If they don’t, they could be facing a similar situation a year or two from now.
What’s clear is that on July 2, there was speculation that there might be one or two offer sheets to some players. Nobody expected Briere to have Carlsson sign such a mammoth offer. That is now history, and moving forward the 32 NHL general managers are on a playing field that is being levelled dramatically by the players. And a general manager perhaps willing to call another’s bluff. Briere might have the evil eye directed at him by two dozen or more general managers. On the other hand, he has the attention of a few dozen superstars around the league moving forward.
