The Flyers went into July trying to solve the same problem that has shadowed them for years: finding a true No. 1 center without blowing up the future. They swung hard at Leo Carlsson, putting a five-year, $90 million offer sheet on the table that would have carried an $18 million cap hit - the richest in NHL history at the time - with roughly $85 million coming through front-loaded, buyout-proof signing bonuses.
Anaheim had the chance to walk away and take four first-round picks for its franchise center. Instead, the Ducks matched, and Carlsson stayed put.
Pat Verbeek made the call without hesitation. “Leo is viewed as a top player in this league, and it was always our intention to match any offer sheet,” the Ducks GM said when Anaheim matched on July 9.
Carlsson was relieved, saying, “I always wanted to be a Duck.” A day later, Danny Briere made clear the Flyers were not backing off their broader plan.
“We understood this outcome was possible when we made the offer,” he said. “While the result isn’t what we hoped for, our goal does not change - we remain committed to pursuing every opportunity that will strengthen our team and continue to build towards becoming a consistent and perennial contender without sacrificing our future.”
That’s the balancing act in Philadelphia now. The Flyers made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons last year, and the expectation level has changed.
Sportaza online sportsbook currently lists them at +120 to make the playoffs this season, and those odds figure to move if Briere can land the center he’s been chasing. For now, the club still has its draft capital, its cap space and a young roster that won a playoff series a year ahead of schedule.
What it doesn’t have is the centerpiece Briere identified in June: “We’d like to have a No. 1 center.”
So where does he turn? Three names stand out.
Dylan Larkin is the cleanest fit on paper. The Detroit captain is 30, an Olympic gold medalist, and coming off a career year with 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games.
He finished second on the Red Wings in goals behind only Alex DeBrincat, even as Detroit missed the playoffs for the 10th straight season. But the situation has turned messy.
His trade request became public June 4, Steve Yzerman left the GM chair in July, and interim GM Shawn Horcoff is now running hockey operations. Detroit stripped the C on September 11 and opened camp without a captain.
“I asked for a trade from the Detroit Red Wings as the captain, and actions have consequences,” Larkin said, and he later missed the opening week of camp with a gym injury before returning to practice on September 23, not on a regular line.
Philadelphia has already checked in, and Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported the Flyers were told Larkin was not on his list. Broad Street Hockey has suggested that could change.
His $8.7 million cap hit runs through 2030-31, which fits within Philadelphia’s more than $13 million in available space, but Detroit would demand a haul - likely a young roster player or premium prospect, a first-round pick and more. Rasmus Ristolainen, who the Wings have liked before, could be part of that kind of package.
If Larkin were ever to land in orange and black, he would step in as the top center immediately and let Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak slide into more natural roles. The problem is simple: Larkin holds the veto.
Adam Fantilli looks like the type of player teams dream about building around, but the path to him is even thinner. The 21-year-old was the third overall pick in 2023, won the Hobey Baker at Michigan and has become Columbus’s unquestioned No. 1 center.
Last season, he scored 24 goals and posted career highs with 35 assists and 59 points in all 82 games. He is also not in camp.
Pierre LeBrun reported the sides are about $2 million to $3 million apart, with Columbus believed to be around $12 million, and Don Waddell has said the Carlsson offer sheet altered his own thinking. Rick Bowness said it was clear Fantilli is “disappointed” to be away, while Waddell said as recently as this week that he still expects a deal “in the near future.”
Even so, the Flyers connection has never been especially strong. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic floated the idea in July and pointed out how awkward it would be with Briere’s son, Cam, working as Columbus’s video coach.
Kurz later reported an offer sheet was unlikely, and Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco put it plainly: “They aren’t offer-sheeting Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli.” Waddell has also kept enough cap room open to match anything reasonable.
In theory, Fantilli would be a perfect age fit alongside Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov. In practice, the money and the politics make it hard to see.
Shane Wright is the most intriguing wild card of the group. Once viewed as the likely first overall pick in 2022 before Seattle took him fourth, the 22-year-old has had a strange path.
He put up 44 points in 2024-25, then dropped to 12 goals and 27 points last season under Lane Lambert, spending much of the year in a checking role. In July, his agent Kurt Overhardt said GM Jason Botterill had agreed to move him “to a team in need of a top young center,” though no formal trade request was ever filed.
Seattle reportedly preferred to package him for a top-tier forward, Pittsburgh looked into him, and by September Overhardt was describing Wright as “fully committed to the Kraken.” Lambert has said Wright became a better 200-foot player, even if the scoring dipped.
The Flyers’ link here is more speculative, built on David Pagnotta’s pre-draft report that they had “entered the chat” and on unconfirmed chatter since, including from NHLTradeRumor.com. Wright is in the final year of his entry-level deal, so the cap hit is minimal, and the asking price would likely be picks, a prospect, or one of Philadelphia’s extra wingers. If Briere wants a center without taking on a massive financial commitment, this is the kind of lane that makes sense.
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