So, what now?

The Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Daniel Briere took about as big a swing as could be conceived, only to see the astronomical five-year, $90 million offer sheet signed by Leo Carlsson matched by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

This was always the likeliest result. The Ducks had to find a way to keep the No. 2 pick of the 2023 draft in the fold, even if he’s now making several million dollars more than they were planning on, as the 21-year-old Carlsson now assumes the title of highest-paid player in the league.

But it still stings if you’re the Flyers, or a fan. Carlsson is not only the kind of No. 1 center that the Flyers will need to find at some point, but with him, the path to eventually becoming a legitimate contender would have been a feasible one — perhaps within a year or two, considering how well Briere has set the table in other areas, including finding a goaltender in Dan Vladar and keeping salaries in check for other key players on long-term deals.

NHL offer sheets are just business

Sean Gentille and Sean McIndoe

Plugging in Carlsson as the top-line center, while surrounding him with fellow 25-and-unders such as Porter Martone, Tyson Foerster, Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Denver Barkey and Alex Bump — that’s the kind of young core that could have grown together and become a force in relatively short order, considering there would still be a fair amount of veteran talent supporting them, too. Martone, especially, already looks like he could be a future star.

Instead, the gigantic hole at the top of the Flyers’ lineup remains. This past week only reinforces how difficult it’s going to be for Briere to fill it.

One option now would be for the Flyers to pivot to another restricted free agent who is still unsigned. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ Adam Fantilli, a center drafted with the No. 3 pick in 2023, has still not agreed to a new deal and has similar career numbers to Carlsson. Connor Bedard, the top pick in the draft that year, and the centerpiece of the Chicago Blackhawks’ rebuild, also remains unsigned.

But this week, a Flyers team source, provided anonymity to speak freely about internal discussions, downplayed that possibility. While they’ll certainly keep looking for a high-end center, the Carlsson offer sheet was as much about the circumstances as the player himself. There was a fair amount of planning and preparation behind the offer, which was tailored economically to put pressure on the Ducks organization to let Carlsson walk. By matching it, the Ducks are in a jam from a salary cap perspective, with so many other young players due new deals soon, while the whole right side of their defense is questionable, at best.

Further, would Briere really want to go down that offer sheet road again, only to get rebuffed a second time? He’s already thrown a firecracker into the whole Ducks operation. Do it again, and there could be real complications getting other general managers to keep trusting him and working with him in good faith.

The more likely result is that the Flyers will seek some depth pieces to support what is still a promising flock of young players.

Another defenseman, particularly an offensive-minded one who has power play experience, could still be on Briere’s shopping list. Maybe the Flyers still have eyes on a younger center who doesn’t have quite as much upside as Carlsson. They were interested in Mavrik Bourque before he was traded from Dallas to Nashville, for example.

There’s also the matter of new contracts for restricted free agents Zegras and Drysdale. Those deals could get finalized in relatively short order, as no one likely wants to go through the potential unpleasantness of an arbitration hearing, which they both filed for last week.

Now without the incoming burden of an $18 million annual salary cap hit, the Flyers still have approximately $30 million in space. They’re still in a position to add more, even if the pickings are looking pretty slim in terms of remaining free agents and trade targets. They can easily take care of their own while also pursuing other avenues.

Still, no one should doubt that Briere will remain patient if he has to, as he mentioned after a quiet opening day of free agency when the Flyers added only fourth-liner Noel Acciari (and No. 2 goalie Joseph Woll in a trade with Toronto in June). The Flyers aren’t going to make any sort of trades or signings that will jeopardize the future.

Considering all of the movement, or rumored potential movement, of so many top players in the league over the past few months, it may not be long before someone else who piques their interest is made available, though. The best course of action now might be to preserve flexibility for when that opportunity comes along, because when the organization identifies its next target, there shouldn’t be any doubts anymore that they’re going to be as aggressive as the rules allow.