The Philadelphia Flyers tendered an offer sheet for Leo Carlsson on Friday, creating a major financial gap between what they are willing to pay and what the Anaheim Ducks had been planning to offer their restricted free agent.
The Flyers signed Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet on Friday. The deal carries an $18 million average annual value, making Carlsson the highest-paid player on a per-year basis in NHL history.
If the Ducks do not match the offer sheet in the next seven days, Carlsson would become a Flyer, and Anaheim would receive four first-round picks from Philadelphia as compensation.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Anaheim called Carlsson's camp "hours before the offer sheet," although he revealed the Ducks were planning on offering the 21-year-old forward a much lower deal.
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“According to several sources, the Ducks and Carlsson’s representatives held a call hours before the offer sheet dropped,” Friedman wrote. “Anaheim’s offer was believed to be between $12-$13 million. No doubt the Ducks thought they’d come a long way. A few other teams said they heard the ask was in the $15 million range.”
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported an even lower Ducks' range for Carlsson's deal, quoting it in the $10-to-$12 million range. Per Weekes, Anaheim wanted to place both Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, also a pending restricted free agent, at similar salaries.
“Per my conversations earlier in the week with sources, the Anaheim Ducks were hoping to be between 10M-12M AAV for Carlsson and Gauthier, knowing Sennecke will be next in line,” Weekes reported.
According to Friedman and Weekes' reports, Philadelphia’s offer exceeded Anaheim’s reported target by at least $5 million per season, and possibly as much as $8 million annually.
Carlsson is coming off a career year. He posted 29 goals, 38 assists and 67 points in 70 regular-season games, then added 11 points in 12 playoff games as the Ducks made the postseason for the first time since 2018.
Anaheim drafted Carlsson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and through three years of NHL play, he has scored 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 career games.
The Ducks have until July 10 to decide whether to match the Flyers' offer sheet or let him go, landing four first-round picks over the next four years instead.
