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PHILADELPHIA -- Leo Carlsson nearly became a member of the Philadelphia Flyers last summer, but on Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks center made sure the team that tried to acquire him paid for the attempt.
Carlsson scored a goal and set up the game-winner as the Ducks halted a five-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the Flyers. The 21-year-old downplayed any extra emotion surrounding the matchup.
"Attention was on some other guys, so I didn't really feel anything different about it, to be honest," Carlsson said. "I was never really here, so it wasn't anything different."
Philadelphia could certainly use Carlsson's offensive output. Following his two-point performance, he leads Anaheim in scoring with 13 points (three goals, 10 assists). His goal was assisted by Cutter Gauthier, the player whose January 2024 trade request from the Flyers still draws vitriolic chants from the Philadelphia faithful.
The two franchises have been intertwined multiple times over the past two years. After acquiring Jamie Drysdale in exchange for Gauthier, the Flyers also obtained Trevor Zegras from Anaheim. But Philadelphia sent shockwaves through the NHL on July 3 by tendering Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet. Its $18 million average annual value was the richest in league history at the time.
Anaheim matched the offer six days later, one day before the deadline, securing Carlsson through the 2030-31 season. Philadelphia retained the four first-round picks it would have received as compensation.
"Did we expect the offer sheet to be this high? No. We did not see that one coming," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said at the time. "But we're very confident, with the cap going up and the ability of Leo to make strides of improvement and become an elite player, we feel confident this contract will be a good one in the end."
Carlsson said then that he couldn't turn down the offer but hoped Anaheim would keep him. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft has improved every season, posting 29 points as a rookie and 45 in 2024-25 before setting career highs with 29 goals, 38 assists and 67 points in 70 games last season. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games.
Entering Saturday, he had a team-high 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 10 games, with seven of those points coming on the power play. He also assisted on a power-play goal by Beckett Sennecke against Philadelphia.
Key Analysis
Carlsson's performance served as a poignant reminder of what the Flyers missed out on. His decision to sign the offer sheet and Anaheim's commitment to match it have positioned him as a cornerstone for the Ducks, while Philadelphia was left with draft capital but without the young star it coveted. As Carlsson continues to develop into an elite player, his success will only magnify the significance of that near-miss for the Flyers.
Originally reported by espn.