Is There Pressure on the Flyers to Match Sixers’ Big Splashes?

Three weeks earlier, it was the Philadelphia Flyers taking their big swing of the offseason. The Leo Carlsson offer sheet dropped at about the same time everyone checked out for the holiday weekend on July 3.

And for as much excitement as there was for Carlsson choosing the Flyers and signing an offer sheet guaranteed to make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, it didn’t guarantee he would be a Flyer, as unrestricted free agent signings do.

Six days later, the dream ended and the Anaheim Ducks matched the offer sheet. Carlsson was staying in Anaheim. The Flyers’ roster remained largely unchanged from the previous season.

For as much good work as the Flyers have done this offseason to lock up their own, they didn’t make the big splash. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but it didn’t result in landing a player that instantly changes your franchise as a cornerstone.

The team that shares Xfinity Mobile Arena with the Flyers made not one, but two massive splashes in their offseason.

While the Flyers were awaiting Anaheim’s decision on Carlsson, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics through a trade on July 6. On Friday, the Sixers were the talk of the entire sports world with the signing of LeBron James.

An MVP candidate and one of the greatest athletes of all-time have joined the Sixers in the same offseason. Two champions. Two players that can elevate a former MVP like Joel Embiid, an All-Star like Tyrese Maxey, an All-Rookie Team player like VJ Edgecombe. It creates a lineup that immediately becomes a top contender.

The Flyers would have been close to that with Carlsson. They may not have been in the same tier as the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, or Colorado Avalanche, but the tier below? It would have certainly boosted their stock.

Instead, the Flyers are going back to the drawing board. And now that the Sixers have made two huge splashes for names synonymous with the entire league and sports world, is there pressure on the Flyers to do the same?

GM Danny Briere can’t be influenced by this in the present. The offseason is primarily over, and unless someone presents an offer that can’t be refused for a league superstar, something that worthwhile isn’t going to come across Briere’s desk now. And Briere isn’t going to make a move for the sake of making it. He’s been steadfast in that approach and won’t change that now.

But at some point, trying won’t be good enough.

The Flyers just snapped a five-year playoff drought. They won a round in the playoffs. They looked the part in close games and saw a lot of growth from young players to instill confidence in the future.

Briere has recognized that the need to take steps forward is there and that acquiring the top-tier playoffs that can move the Flyers to the next level is going to take creativity and patience. He took his chance when the opportunity presented itself. This offseason, it didn’t work.

And Briere clearly seems dedicated to keeping cap space handy for when the next opportunity comes. The Flyers have nearly $15 million in available cap space with most of their offseason work completed. Briere appears to have no issues sitting on that and waiting for whenever something else comes along.

The cap is expected to go up by another $9.5 million next offseason. The Flyers are getting another $9.6 million in cap space from expiring contracts to Rasmus Ristolainen, Matvei Michkov, Carl Grundstrom, Simon Benoit, and their retention on Garnet Hathaway, who was traded to Florida this offseason. Michkov is their only restricted free agent next offseason.

That means the Flyers will have over $34 million to work with once again, and be financially in position for the next opportunity to add that type of player. They just need to complete the hard part, and have the right opportunity be there for the taking.

The pressure to do that shouldn’t be there today, just because the Sixers shook up the sports world. But in a city that demands excellence, and looks at your counterparts when you don’t meet the bar, that pressure will come eventually.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.