The Anaheim Ducks have matched the five-year, $90 million offer sheet that Leo Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last week, keeping the centre on their roster with now the largest cap hit in the NHL.
Anaheim announced the decision Thursday, one day ahead of the deadline to do so.
The Flyers would have sent four first-round picks over the next five years to Anaheim had the Ducks elected not to match as a result of the $18 million average annual value of Carlsson’s deal. Philadelphia keeps those picks and remains flush with cap space at nearly $30 million.
Carlsson is now officially the league’s highest-paid player with his $18 million salary sitting a full $1 million above that of Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov. Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl is next on the list, sitting well back with a cap hit of $14 million on his eight-year deal. Carlsson will be an unrestricted free agent when his contract expires in 2031 at just 26 years of age.
“Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement. “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.”
The 21-year-old centre posted 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games last season and added four goals and 11 points in 12 playoff contests. Carlsson was clearly heavily sought after as he hit restricted free agency on July 1, with TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reporting that four teams presented him with an offer sheet.
Dreger has also reported that the deal is heavily loaded in signing bonuses, with close to $20 million being paid out now that the deal will be officially registered with the league.
“We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “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.”
As a result of matching, the Ducks now have less than $10 million in cap space, per PuckPedia, with restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier still in need of a new contract. Anaheim took care of business with one RFA during the Carlsson drama, signing defenceman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year, $36 million deal.
Gauthier led the Ducks in scoring last season, registering 41 goals and 69 points in 76 games. He posted four goals and 12 points in 12 playoff games, setting himself up for a nice payday this summer. He is not eligible for an offer sheet due to his service time accrued.
Keeping Carlsson locks up a key piece of the future for the Ducks but will assuredly impact decisions moving forward due to his massive cap hit. The Swedish centre will account for 17.31 per cent of the team’s salary cap space this season.
The Ducks took a major step forward this season, reaching the second round of the playoffs in their first trip to the postseason since 2018. The team traded forward Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues earlier this off-season and saw unrestricted free-agent defencemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba all leave the team.
In an attempt to keep space for their restricted free agents, Anaheim was largely quiet in free agency, inking A.J. Greer to a four-year deal at a $4.25 million cap hit and adding veteran defenceman Nick Jensen on a two-year deal in their most significant moves.
Flyers strike out
It’s unclear what lies ahead for the Flyers and their excess cap space. The team has added goaltender Joseph Woll, blueliner Simon Benoit and forward Noel Acciari in some of their most notable changes this off-season, largely focusing on the future with long-term extensions for Dan Vladar and Tyson Foerster.
Philadelphia still has work to do on their current roster with restricted free agents Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in need of new deals as restricted free agents. Both players elected to file for arbitration earlier this week, setting a deadline for negotiations to take place before their hearings.
The Flyers returned to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2020 and the Carlsson offer sheet signalled a willingness to bet on becoming a perennial contender moving forward.
