The mother of all offer sheets has arrived. The Philadelphia Flyers signed Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million deal.
Talk about a whopper.
And it’s a whopper that the Flyers could come to regret. Now, there’s no doubting that Carlsson is one heck of a player. He doesn’t get as much notoriety as if he played in Anaheim. If he played in a larger market like Vancouver, Toronto, New York, or Chicago, he’d be a megastar.
But beyond the fact that Carlsson deserves a big payday, the Flyers went overboard. This move is the sort of situation a poker player makes, going all-in when no one is really expecting such a move.
The Ducks, for their part, had vowed to match any offer sheet. Well, now it’s Pat Verbeek’s turn to call Daniel Briere’s bluff.
However, the Ducks may push back from the table and take the four first-round picks as compensation. And that’s precisely the reason why the Flyers may regret this move.
There is no question that Carlsson could make the Flyers a better team. But there’s no guarantee that would be the case. Just because Carlsson was successful in Anaheim, it doesn’t mean that success will automatically transfer to Philly.
If the 21-year-old can’t live up to expectations, questions will immediately emerge surrounding this move. Even if Carlsson has a monster year with the Flyers, the club still has to make the playoffs. Then, the club would have to get past the Carolina Hurricanes at one point or another.
If the Flyers can’t make it, what good would that do the organization?
Is Carlsson Really Worth Four First-Round Picks?
So, here’s another major issue: Is Carlsson really worth four first-round picks? The question is fair, as losing four first-rounders and tying up 17.3% of the cap on a single player is just way too much of a gamble.
The argument here is that the Flyers see themselves as contenders. As such, who cares about the first-rounders? They would be late-round picks anyway, assuming Philly makes strong playoff runs with Carlsson in the fold.
Again, what happens if the move doesn’t necessarily pay off? It’s not that there’s any question about Carlsson’s abilities. But what if the fit just isn’t good? What if the Flyers can’t make it work?
The pressure will be on the player and team to make it work.
What to read next:
One key reason why Flyers can make this deal work
There’s one key reason the Flyers can make this deal work: Rick Tocchet. If there’s a coach that’s been known to get the most out of his players, it’s Tocchet. Philly’s bench boss was able to turn things around this past season and push the club into the postseason.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Flyers got past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before slamming into the Hurricanes. That was the end of the line for Philly, but optimism reigns in the organization.
That’s why Tocchet will be the key to making all of this work. It’s a hefty investment that the organization is making in a single player. And it will be up to his new coach to make it worthwhile.
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