Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Flyers, led by Daniel Brière, have had a very interesting summer, and it’s far from over.
Trevor Zegras notably reacted to the Flyers’ offer sheet to Leo Carlsson, and his reaction perfectly sums up the summer we’ve just witnessed.
The saga captured the NHL’s full attention over the past few weeks.
You don’t often see a team go the offer sheet route, and when it happens, it creates quite a stir. Especially when it involves such a big name!
The Flyers made a huge statement.
A massive five-year offer worth $18 million per season in an attempt to pry the Anaheim Ducks’ franchise player away.
Speaking about the situation, Zegras said he understood why his general manager dared to make such a move. But one of his comments stood out more than anything else.
His words were simple and direct.
“It was insane!… having played with Leo, I can maybe understand why they wanted to do that. He’s an incredible player, and it would have been great to have him on our team.” said forward Trevor Zegras.
It’s hard to disagree with him on that one.
And he probably enjoyed seeing it happen. Because the Flyers’ move instantly drove salaries up across the entire NHL.
Daniel Brière may have opened the door for the entire league
What makes the whole situation even more remarkable is the context.
Carlsson is a good player, but he is not yet one of the league’s biggest stars.
Seeing him land an $18 million-per-season contract is incredible.
Before him, no player in the NHL was earning that kind of money. The benchmark has now shifted for everyone.
Offer sheets have traditionally been frowned upon around the league.
It’s an unwritten rule, and general managers who dared to use them in the past were heavily criticized.
But Daniel Brière may have just carved out a path that other teams will be much more willing to follow from now on.
And for the entertainment value, that would be an excellent thing.
Nothing is more entertaining for fans than a summer in which general managers steal players from one another with offer sheets.
Is this the beginning of a new era for NHL offer sheets?
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Surprise offer sheet submitted for star forward draws strong reaction: ‘It was insane’
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