There is a real cost to a team “retaliating” via a future offer sheet: They would need to offer up a contract for a player that is big enough that the Flyers would, at minimum, consider not matching. No team is going to do that just “for a friend”. Will Anaheim pull something in that regard like the Canes did to the Habs? Possible, but unlikely. The “retaliation” risk here isn’t really offer sheets to future Flyer RFA’s: It’s other GM’s being wary of working with Briere going forward. That’s why, I believe, Carlsson’s agent (almost 100% surely) “leaked” that 3 other teams were prepared to submit offer sheets for Carlsson as well…That gives Briere cover as “if it wasn’t him, it would have been someone else” comes into play.