Trevor Zegras signed a four-year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers, even as the team is still chasing a bigger swing up front.
Thursday also marked the first time general manager Daniel Briere spoke publicly since Anaheim retained Leo Carlsson on July 9th with a five-year, $90 million deal.
The call was mainly about Zegras, but the failed Carlsson pursuit hung over the entire conversation.
"It was noticed around the league," Briere said. "What I hope, too, is that it's noticed by our fans and by our players, that we're serious."
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Philadelphia's free agency period since then has stayed quiet, adding backup goalie Joseph Woll, depth defenseman Simon Benoit and veteran forward Noel Acciari.
Zegras is the real headline here. He posted a career-high 67 points in his first season with Philadelphia after arriving from Anaheim last summer.
Briere says the Carlsson swing sent its own message
His new deal carries a $9.125 million cap hit over four years, with limited trade protection kicking in for the final two seasons.
Briere pointed to more than production when explaining the extension, crediting Zegras for pushing hard to stay in Philadelphia during the talks.
Restricted free agent defenseman Jamie Drysdale remains unsigned, with an arbitration hearing set for July 20th if a deal does not land first.
Philadelphia still projects to carry $12 million to $14 million in cap space into September even after locking up Zegras.
"It's nice to have that luxury," Briere said of the room. "You use it in certain cases like we did on the offer sheet."
He was careful not to promise anything specific beyond that, sticking with the same patient approach even as fans push for more aggression.
The Carlsson chase failed, but Briere made clear Thursday that it will not be the last time Philadelphia goes looking for a similar swing.
Should the Flyers use their cap space on another big swing this season?
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