Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere has certainly made the NHL offseason interesting when he tendered a huge offer sheet to the Anaheim Ducks’ Leo Carlsson. Still, since Pat Verbeek matched it, Briere now must explore other options. Before getting back to shopping outside his own organization, however, the GM reached an agreement with RFA Trevor Zegras, thereby avoiding arbitration. At first glance, some may think that it’s better for the team than the deal Montreal Canadiens star rookie Ivan Demidov inked on July 1.
After all, Demidov’s eight-year contract has a higher cap hit at $9.150 M while Zegras’ four-year pact has a $9.125M cap hit, but that’s far from the reality. At just 20 years old, Demidov has put up 62 points in his only NHL season, while Zegras, after six NHL seasons and at 25, has never recorded more than 67 points. How far from his ceiling is he? That’s hard to say at this stage, but one thing is clear: he has far less runway than Demidov does.
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What’s worse, though, is that the Flyers, after spending three assets to acquire Zegras in the 2025 offseason, may only get to enjoy five years of the player. His first season in Philadelphia was a good one, but with his new deal, he’ll be free as a bird at the end of the four-season term to hit the market at 29 and go after a big payday. The fact that he only signed a deal to take him to UFA status also shows that either he’s not sold on what the Flyers are building or the team isn’t quite sure of what they have on their hands and whether he’s worth committing to long term.
If Zegras keeps improving and reaches a new level, Briere might really have to break the bank to retain his services, and that’s if Zegras wants to stay there. He will be within his rights to hit the market and assess just how much he could get from another team. In three short years, when he’s about to enter the final year of the contract, his situation is sure to attract a lot of attention and create a big distraction.
Of course, Demidov will also be a UFA at the end of his eight-year deal in 2035, but the Canadiens will have enjoyed 11 years of their fifth overall pick at the 2024 draft. The absolute maximum a team can get from a drafted asset, and they will have done so at a cost-controlled price as well.
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