The Anaheim Ducks have matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson, keeping the rising star and creating a little bit of a cap squeeze for the team.
The $18 million average annual value on the offer sheet makes Carlsson, 21, the highest-paid player in the NHL, passing the $17 million for Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. The Flyers would have owed the Ducks four first-round picks if they had not matched.
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With the match and the recent re-signing of defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Tyson Hinds, the Ducks have about $9 million in remaining cap space, according to puckpedia.com
Cutter Gauthier, the team’s leading scorer, still has to sign and that cap space might not be enough after a 41-goal season. The Ducks’ defense also could use an upgrade. That means general manager Pat Verbeek might have to trade a veteran or two to be cap-compliant.
Here’s what to know about the Ducks matching the Flyers’ offer sheet:
What did the Flyers say?
General manager Daniel Briere released the following statement through the team on Friday, July 10.
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“We understood this outcome was possible when we made the offer. While the result isn’t what we hoped for, our goal does not change – we remain committed to pursuing every opportunity that will strengthen our team and continue to build towards becoming a consistent and perennial contender without sacrificing our future.”
What did Pat Verbeek say?
Verbeek is known for hardball negotiations and Mason McTavish and other restricted free agents didn’t sign until training camp. But the general manager said he tried to get something done before July 1 and thought he was been slow-walked to the beginning of free agency.
The amount of the offer surprised him and he said it will change how things are handled with restricted free agents.
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“This offer sheet is going to be felt around the rest of the league,” he said. “We’re going to have to do business in a different type of manner moving forward.”
He added that the intent is to re-sign Gauthier and he has 2½ months to make the necessary moves to get under the salary cap once that happens.
What’s next for Leo Carlsson?
Carlsson told reporters he had hoped Anaheim would match the offer. After “probably the weirdest week in my life,” he’s glad they did.
“I always wanted to be a Duck,” he said. “It’s my home, too. I’m just super excited to be back.”
He now takes on the title of highest-paid player in the NHL and the pressure that goes with that. But he pointed out pressure also comes from being a No. 2 draft pick. He said he’ll aim to avoid slumps and play at a consistently high level throughout the season.
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“The only thing I can do is go out and play my way,” he said.
He said his teammates were happy for him and he doesn’t think signing the offer sheet will affect his relationship with Verbeek.
“I think he understands my decision when he saw the numbers,” Carlsson said. “No hard feelings between us right now. It’s a great relationship.”
What’s next for the Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers general manager Daniel Briere made a big swing for a No. 1 center and that need still exists.
In the meantime, the Flyers have two upcoming salary arbitration hearings. Forward Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale, acquired in separate trades from the Ducks, have filed. Hearings start July 20, though no specific days have been assigned and teams can negotiate with players beforehand. Zegras averaged $5.75 million in his last deal and Drysdale averaged $2.3 million..
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What the Anaheim Ducks said
“We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years,” Verbeek said in a statement. “We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft. He’s a character person on and off the ice. Leo is viewed as a top player in this league, and it was always our intention to match any offer sheet.”
From Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli: “Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo. We have extremely high expectations for Leo. We firmly believe he will continue his strong growth trajectory and become one of the truly elite centers in the league, while continuing to make a strong impact in our community.”
Leo Carlsson contract details
The Flyers’ offer sheet was structured to make Carlsson’s payouts mostly signing bonuses. Here are the details:
Leo Carlsson stats
Carlsson was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft behind Chicago’s Connor Bedard. He had a breakthrough 67 points in 70 games last season. He was named to the Swedish Olympic team but wasn’t able to play because of a leg injury.
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In his first three years, he has 141 points in 201 games.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ducks match Flyers’ massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson: What it means
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