- Joel Quenneville gave his first public reaction to the offer sheet that reset the NHL salary ceiling
- Anaheim matched a five-year, $90 million deal carrying an $18 million cap hit
- Read below for the full quotes and the video of Quenneville breaking it down
Joel Quenneville found out about the biggest contract in NHL history the same way the rest of us did.
The Anaheim Ducks head coach sat down with Spittin’ Chiclets this week and got asked what went through his head when the Philadelphia Flyers dropped an offer sheet on Leo Carlsson in July. His answer had two halves.
“We all got an idea when we saw it, it’s like, ‘I’m happy for Leo’. At the same time, I think, it was a shocker.”
Watch Quenneville walk through the whole thing:
The numbers are still hard to read without blinking. Philadelphia tendered Carlsson a five-year deal worth $90 million on July 3, an $18 million average annual value that sits above every other contract in the league.
Anaheim had until July 9 to decide. Passing would have handed the Ducks four first-round picks, and general manager Pat Verbeek never seriously entertained it. He matched the sheet and kept his 21-year-old center.
Quenneville gave his GM credit for how the week played out.
“I commend Beeker (Pat Verbeek) on handling a tough situation well. We’re still getting everybody together here going into Camp, we’ll see how it all plays out. But I’m glad we got the player. Leo’s a special guy. I expect him to continue on a great start to his career and build off what he’s done.”
Then came the part that matters most for October. Quenneville was asked whether he wants anything different from Carlsson now that the kid is the highest-paid player in hockey, and he pushed back on the idea.
“Don’t change yourself in how you approach the game, but hey, let’s get ready to come and take some pride in being rewarded, but at the same time, don’t change the way you are.”
Carlsson earned the raise with a 29-goal, 67-point season in 70 games, all career highs. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games and led every NHL skater 21 or younger in postseason scoring.
His deal is one piece of a summer that pulled the top of the pay scale up across the league, and Anaheim still has Cutter Gauthier’s next contract waiting on the other side of it.
Camp opens in Anaheim later this month, and the preseason opener against the San Jose Sharks lands Sept. 20. Craig Conroy joined Quenneville on the same episode:
