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The Anaheim Ducks will retain Leo Carlsson after matching the Philadelphia Flyers five-year, $90 million offer sheet to the star center, the team announced Thursday.
The Ducks matched it after the Flyers announced on July 3 that they had signed the restricted free agent to the record-breaking offer sheet, making Carlsson the highest-paid player in the NHL with an $18 million average annual value, surpassing Kirill Kaprizovs $17 million per season with the Minnesota Wild.
Advertisement 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.
Anaheim, which owned the 21-year-olds rights after his entry-level contract expired this summer, chose to pay Carlsson rather than take Philadelphias next four first-round draft picks as compensation for him going to the Flyers.
We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement.
We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft.
Hes 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.
Carlsson finished second in scoring with the Ducks last season with 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games.
He added four goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games before the Ducks were eliminated in the second round.
What does this mean for the Flyers? The Flyers search for a true No.
1 center will have to continue after a shockingly aggressive move ended up for naught.
While general manager Daniel Briere has done a nice job of accumulating young players that have taken steps to varying degrees, the gigantic hole at the top of the lineup remains.
Considering the improving Flyers arent likely to have any top three picks in the NHL draft anytime soon, Briere will have to find another avenue.
None of the Flyers current centers Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates or Sean Couturier is likely to ever be a top line center on a contending team.
Advertisement The offseason isnt over yet, though.
Perhaps Briere will remain aggressive and pursue the Columbus Blue Jackets Adam Fantilli, who remains a restricted free agent.
Or, maybe the disgruntled Dylan Larkin, who is still property of the Detroit Red Wings, adds Philadelphia to his list of accepted destinations.
Its evident now that Briere and the organization wont be afraid to do anything in their power to fill what is a vital need.
That said, theres just as good a chance that the Flyers roster now is how training camp begins in September.
Briere isnt going to make a move just to make a move, and with a team that is still the fourth-youngest in the NHL, he can stay patient and let the group grow together while waiting for another opportunity to present itself.
Kevin Kurz This story will be updated.