- Kevin Weekes says the Ducks were targeting $10-12M AAV for Carlsson before the Flyers struck
- Philadelphia’s five-year, $90M offer sheet carries an $18M cap hit, the highest in the NHL
- Read below for what the gap means for Anaheim’s July 10 call
The Ducks weren’t planning to pay Leo Carlsson anywhere near $18 million.
Kevin Weekes of ESPN said Anaheim was hoping to land Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier in the $10 million to $12 million range on their next contracts. Then Philadelphia came off the top rope.
Here’s Weekes:
On Friday, the Flyers handed Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. The $18 million cap hit would make the 21-year-old the highest-paid player in the league.
Philadelphia made it official:
That’s six to eight million a year more than the Ducks had in mind. Anaheim has until July 10 to match. Walk away, and all they get back is four first-round picks.
Matching means locking $18 million a year into one player on a roster that’s still building. Passing means handing over a 21-year-old cornerstone for picks that won’t help for years. Neither road is clean.
He also flagged Beckett Sennecke as next in line for a raise in Anaheim, which means an $18 million Carlsson deal scrambles the books for everyone.
Carlsson is coming off a career year. He posted 29 goals, 38 assists and 67 points in 70 games, then chipped in 11 points across 12 playoff contests. The Ducks took him second overall in 2023, and he already has 141 points in 201 NHL games.
The ripple runs past Anaheim. Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, two young stars still working out their own money, are the next dominoes a number like this pushes.
Anaheim spent the week thinking $10 million. Now the Ducks have seven days to decide if they can live with $18.
