Ducks match Flyers' five-year, $90M offer to Leo Carlsson

Anaheimmatched thePhiladelphia Flyers' record-setting offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson on Thursday, meaning the 21-year-old center will remain with the Ducks on a five-year, $90 million contract that will make him the NHL's highest-paid player.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had told his peers privately that he would match any offer sheet for Carlsson, though sources told ESPN that Anaheim was surprised by just how much Philadelphia put forward for a player who was finishing up an entry-level contract that paid $950,000 annually.

"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."

Ahead of last season, Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov signed a contract to make him the league's highest-paid player at $17 million per season.

Carlsson's contract will surpass that with a $18 million average annual value, as the Samuelis are now on the hook for massive payments, as the deal shakes up the Ducks' preexisting structure and tested whether ownership was willing to front unprecedented cash outlays. The contract is built almost entirely around signing bonuses, with just $4.7 million in total base salary over five years and roughly $85.3 million paid as bonuses. Carlsson will receive nearly $20 million immediately in Year 1.

Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL draft, scored 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games this season, which was slowed by injury. Anaheim reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and Carlsson was key in a first-round victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Carlsson scored four goals and 11 assists in a 12-game playoff run that ended in the second round to the Vegas Golden Knights, who lost in the Stanley Cup Final.

"We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft," Verbeek said in a statement. "He's 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."

Anaheim had seven days to match Philadelphia's stunning offer sheet -- a rarely-used player acquisition tool in the NHL's collective bargaining agreement for restricted free agents without a contract, such as Carlsson.

It was a daring move for the Flyers, who have been rebuilding but are desperate for a franchise center. If Anaheim did not match the offer sheet, the Flyers would have had to give the Ducks four first round picks as compensation.

With Carlsson's contract now set, the Ducks still have work to do. They already re-signed restricted free agent Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $7.2 million AAV) but now must find a new contract for Cutter Gauthier, who is also coming off a breakout season.br/]