The Flyers Were Ready to Chase a Different Superstar Before Carlsson

Long before the Philadelphia Flyers made their blockbuster offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, they had their sights set on an entirely different NHL superstar.

According to insider Elliotte Friedman, the Flyers were prepared to make a massive run at Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had he reached free agency. Speaking on his “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman indicated Philadelphia was ready to go all-in on Kaprizov financially — and that Minnesota was well aware of it, which played a role in locking him up early with an eight-year, $136 million extension in September.

The Wild moved before that scenario could ever play out, but the report shows just how aggressively general manager Danny Briere and the Flyers front office have been operating. This summer wasn’t the first time the thought about taking a huge swing.

There’s also a personal thread tying Philadelphia to Kaprizov: assistant general manager Brent Flahr originally drafted the Russian star in the fifth round back in 2015 while working in Minnesota’s front office. Flahr now oversees Philadelphia’s draft strategy, and Kaprizov remains the crown jewel of his scouting résumé.

Kaprizov and Carlsson Are Very Different Targets

Kaprizov isn’t a perfect stylistic match for what the Flyers ultimately pursued in Carlsson — he’s a winger, while Carlsson is a natural center. There’s also quite an age difference: Carlsson is only 21, while Kaprizov is 29.

But the fact that the Flyers are acting so aggressively to land a franchise-caliber talent suggests they might not be done trying to make a splash. They’ve already put the league on notice, and if teams were thinking about coming for them, what’s the harm in stirring the pot even more?

Reports are that they won’t be attempting another offer sheet, but Briere seems to be full of all sorts of surprises.

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