Flyers: 8 Years to Briere? Here's a theory..

Signing Briere to an 8 year contract will take him to 37 years old and unlikely to earn the cap space he will occupy. After thinking about it though, I think the Flyers used a long contract term to lower the average per year (which is how the cap works) to $6.5m. At $6.5 a year against the cap, the Flyers can now afford to sign another impact player....this year. A nice second tier player could be lured here now that the Flyers can call themselves a contender. As for looking ahead, I'm sure Holmgren is betting the $6.5 million cap hit in 8 years won't be as constraining as it is the current cap structure.

Briere a Flyer?

It appears the Flyers have chosen their future center, Daniel Briere. Briere immediately makes the Flyers a playoff contender. Flyers have made tremendous strides in reloading after their worst season ever. I still like Gomez better as a Flyer, but Briere will bring excitement, speed, and creativity to a roster than will thrive around him. I admit, I thought Buffalo would offer him more than they did.
Schneider signed for over $11 million for 2 years at 38 years old? And everyone criticized the Flyers signing of Timonen. Don't they feel dumb. With so many teams well under the new cap, contract amounts were sure to be underestimated.