Flyers’ perfect trade target amid 2026 NHL Free Agency

The Philadelphia Flyers attempted to make a huge move at the start of free agency when they signed young Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks to a huge offer sheet. Carlsson is a 21-year-old center who has already played three years in the NHL. Helooks like he has the potential to be a first-line center and a star in the NHL.

However, Carlsson did not have the freedom to leave the Ducks because he was a restricted free agent. That’s part of the reason the Flyers gave him a huge 5-year, $90 million offer. General manager Daniel Briere would have liked to have Carlsson as a key member of the Flyers, but he had to know that the Ducks would be forced to match the offer.

The Carlsson offer sheet has had a dramatic impact on the salary structure in the NHL. Carlsson is a solid player who could become a star, but he does not warrant an $18 million per year salary. If Carlsson is getting that much, what will Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov and Macklin Celebrini get in the future?

The other thing that Briere’s offer sheet to Carlsson did was upset the NHL apple cart. A number of teams are not going to be happy with the Flyers for throwing the league’s salary structure out of whack. The Anaheim Ducks are certainly no fans of Briere and the Flyers, and it may be a while before they make any trade with Philadelphia.

Seattle’s Wright could be on the move

While other teams may want to follow Anaheim’s lead, business continues to get done in the NHL. The Flyers will try to improve their roster and they could make a trade or two with an eye toward improving a roster that was good enough to earn a spot in the playoffs and win their first round matchup. They could be interested in Seattle’s Shane Wright.

Wright was the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Kraken. Throughout that draft year, Wright was looked at as the No. 1 pick until the final week or two before the event. He slipped  to fourth as he did not display elite skating ability.

Wright has not been a dynamic player since his selection.

He had a chance to play in eight games in both his first and second seasons and he did not prove much. Wright became a regular in in the 2024-25 season and he potted 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points with 7 power play goals.

While those were not numbers indicative of coming stardom, it was a good enough performance to show that there was some potential to work with.

He did not build off those numbers last season. He was held to 12 goals and 15 assists while playing in 74 games.

The Kraken appear to be willing to move on from Wright, and he could fill a role for head coach Rick Tocchet as a third- or fourth-line center. Tocchet is a demanding head coach and if the Flyers made a move for Wright, the 22-year-old could find himself in a make-or-break situation. Tocchet is not about to coddle any player. Wright would clearly be under pressure right from the start.

Marchenko could be on the move