- Elliotte Friedman says the Ducks “might never be the same” after the Carlsson offer sheet
- Anaheim has until July 10 to match Philadelphia or take four first-round picks
- Read below for why Friedman thinks Pat Verbeek lost control of his roster
Elliotte Friedman thinks the Anaheim Ducks just lost the plot.
Friedman broke down the Leo Carlsson mess on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast and did not spare Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. “He has lost control, unfortunately for him, of the structure of his organization,” Friedman said. “Who knows where this goes, but the Ducks might never be the same.”
The clock is the problem. Friedman laid out exactly what Anaheim is staring at:
Philadelphia handed Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet on Friday. The $18 million average annual value would make the 21-year-old the highest-paid player in the league. Anaheim has until July 10 to match it or lose its franchise center for four first-round picks.
The number is what blew everything up. Kevin Weekes reported the Ducks wanted to keep Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier in the $10-12 million range, and the Flyers blew right past it:
Weekes noted the fallout does not stop in Anaheim. A $90 million bar for a 21-year-old center pushes the market for Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, two young stars due for their own paydays soon.
Verbeek is no slouch as a talent evaluator, and Friedman said so. He just thinks leaving Carlsson unsigned this deep into the summer handed Philadelphia the opening it needed.
That deal is stacked with signing bonuses, with a reported $39 million due inside the first year alone. Anaheim already sits under $10 million in cap space after Pavel Mintyukov’s new extension. Matching that structure by Friday is the bill Verbeek now owns.
