- Flyers tender Leo Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet
- The $18M AAV would make Carlsson the NHL’s highest-paid player
- Read below for the terms and Anaheim’s seven-day deadline to match
The Flyers came to blow up Anaheim’s summer.
Philadelphia tendered an offer sheet to Ducks restricted free agent Leo Carlsson on Friday, and it is a monster. The deal runs five years at an $18 million average annual value, which comes out to $90 million total. If it stands, the 21-year-old center becomes the highest-paid player in the NHL.
Here’s the announcement from the team:
Chris Johnston laid out the fine print. The contract is heavily front-loaded, and Anaheim has seven days to match or watch Carlsson leave for Philadelphia in exchange for four first-round picks:
This is uncharted territory. Jason Gregor noted that the rising salary cap just produced the biggest AAV offer sheet in league history:
Anaheim saw this coming. The Ducks have said for weeks they would match any offer sheet aimed at Carlsson, and they have the room to do it with roughly $35 million in cap space.
Carlsson has been worth the fuss. The second overall pick in 2023 put up 67 points on 29 goals and 38 assists in 70 games last season, then chipped in 11 points across 12 playoff games as Anaheim reached the Second Round.
Now the Ducks are on the clock. Anaheim has until next Friday to keep Carlsson in the fold or let Philadelphia land the swing of the offseason.
