The Philadelphia Flyers dropped a metaphorical bomb on the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and the rest of the NHL world is buzzing.
The Flyers tendered an offer sheet to Ducks center Leo Carlsson that, by the end of the process, will make the 21-year-old Swede the highest-paid player in the NHL. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that Carlsson has, indeed, signed the offer.
After missing out on several big-name free agents, Philadelphia announced it had offered Carlsson, the 2023 second-overall pick, a five-year, $90 million contract worth $18 million per season, $1 million above Krill Kaprizov for the highest average annual value in the salary cap era. The eight-year, $136 million deal Kaprizov signed with the Minnesota Wild last fall will see him carry an annual cap hit of $17 million starting this season.
Because Carlsson is a restricted free agent, the Ducks have seven days to match Philadelphia’s exact contract terms and retain Carlsson’s rights. If they decline to match, they will be rewarded with draft-pick compensation: in this case the Flyers’ first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons since Carlsson’s salary will be over $11,506,094.
Per Darren Dreger, Carlsson had four different teams make offers to him.
The 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward is coming off a career year, recording 67 points (29g, 38a) in 70 games. He added 11 points (4g, 7a) in 12 playoff games. Carlsson’s deal from the Flyers will pay him more than names like Leon Draisaitl ($14 million), Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), and Connor McDavid ($12.5 million).
With Carlsson locked up, the next big domino to fall may be Connor Bedard, the first overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard is a restricted free agent and has not yet re-signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
During his end-of-season availability with Chicago media, Bedard said he wanted to return, but to a winning team.
“This kind of has to be the last year of, obviously the games aren’t meaningless, but not playing until the end of the year,” Bedard said in April.
