Before the Flyers ever made their blockbuster offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, they had another name in mind that would have sent an even bigger jolt through the league: Kirill Kaprizov.
That detail comes from Elliotte Friedman, who said on his “32 Thoughts” podcast that Philadelphia was prepared to make a serious push for the Minnesota Wild winger if he had hit free agency. Friedman added that the Flyers were ready to go all-in financially, and that Minnesota knew it - enough to help push the Wild into securing Kaprizov with an eight-year, $136 million extension in September.
The Wild got ahead of the situation before it could turn into a bidding war, but the reporting says plenty about how boldly Danny Briere and the Flyers have been operating. This summer, the Carlsson offer sheet was not some isolated swing. It fit a pattern.
There’s also a familiar Philadelphia connection in the Kaprizov story. Assistant general manager Brent Flahr originally drafted him in the fifth round in 2015 while working in Minnesota’s front office. Now Flahr handles the Flyers’ draft strategy, and Kaprizov still stands as the biggest name on his scouting résumé.
Of course, Kaprizov and Carlsson are not the same kind of target. Kaprizov is a winger, while Carlsson is a natural center. The age gap is notable too: Carlsson is 21, Kaprizov is 29.
Still, the bigger takeaway is hard to miss. The Flyers are chasing franchise-level talent with real aggression, and the Kaprizov report suggests they may not be done taking big swings. They’ve already put the league on notice.
In Other News...
Wild Keep David Spacek In The Blue Line Pipeline
The Wild have kept another young defenseman in the fold, continuing to protect the blue-line depth they have been building through the system. David paek, a 2022 draft pick who has spent most of his pro time with Iowa, has already worked his way into the organizations NHL conversation and even got a taste of the league during the 2025-26 season.
For Minnesota, the move is less about headlines than about keeping a promising defender on a familiar path. paeks development has come steadily inside the pipeline, and the one-year deal gives the Wild another season to see how far that progress can carry him as he tries to turn a brief NHL look into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Internal Depth
The Wild added a pair of familiar organizational pieces this week, signing defenseman David Spacek and forward Caeden Bankier to one-year, two-way deals for the 2026-27 season. It is the kind of move that rarely grabs headlines outside the room, but it does say something about how Minnesota views its pipeline: Spacek has already gotten a taste of NHL duty with the Wild, and Bankier has kept chipping in as a steady secondary scorer with Iowa.
Spaceks AHL production took a noticeable step forward last season, while Bankier continued to show he can be useful in a depth role after another solid year for the Iowa Wild. Both are coming off entry-level contracts, and the new deals keep them in the organization at a point when Minnesota is clearly trying to preserve options and reward players who have shown they can handle more responsibility if called upon. [Read more 🡒]