The Anaheim Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson on Thursday, July 9.
The 21-year-old rising star is staying in Anaheim, and the Flyers hang onto the four first-round picks they would have had to give up if the Ducks hadn’t matched.
Carlsson was hoping Anaheim would match, even though he had signed the five-year, $90 million offer sheet.
“It was kind of an offer that 99 percent of everyone would sign,” Carlsson said. “It changed my family and all, too. … I always wanted to be here, too. I really hoped they would match.”
What is the fallout? Here are the winners and losers of the Ducks’ decision to match the offer sheet:
WINNERS
Anaheim Ducks and Leo Carlsson
Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli immediately owe a signing bonus of nearly $20 million under the terms of the offer sheet. And the deal could hurt the team’s salary cap situation heading forward.
But the team is building around Carlsson, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick. If they didn’t match, it would take them time to find another player with similar promise. The first-round picks would likely be late-round ones, and the draft is uncertain because you’re betting that 18-year-olds will progress as planned.
Carlsson, meanwhile, becomes the highest-paid player in the NHL with an $18 million average annual value. A nice bump from his $950,000-a-year entry-level deal. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal and general manager Pat Verbeek believes he will continue his path to becoming an elite player.
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini
Carlsson got the massive payout after a 67-point season in his third season. How much could Celebrini get after a team-record 115 points in his second season? An $18 million cap hit would seem to be the minimum. He has another year left on his contract, but Sharks general manager Mike Grier can sign him to an extension at any time.
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, who’s currently injured, needs a new contract before the 2026-27 season. The offer sheet has to help his cause.
Top-end stars
The salary cap is going up and salaries are now soaring. Defensemen Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar can sign extensions before they become unrestricted free agents next summer. Connor McDavid has two years left on his contract. A $20 million contract or a max contract (20% of the salary cap) seems possible soon.
Restricted free agents could argue for more money, too, though general managers will have to remind them that the offer sheet was an extraordinary circumstance. But teams will try to lock up their players early to prevent the possibility of an offer sheet.
LOSERS
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek
He left the team vulnerable to an offer sheet by not getting Carlsson signed before July 1. If he had, it would have been for less than $18 million. But he said he thought Carlsson’s representation was “slow-walking” negotiations toward July 1.
The Ducks have only $9 million to work with one player left to sign.
Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier
Gauthier, a 40-goal scorer, is the player left to sign. A $9 million deal isn’t likely to cut it. Verbeek will have to move out a player or two to get Gauthier re-signed.
“Wherever Cutter comes in, I’m going to have some work to do to make sure that we can fit everyone in,” Verbeek said. “I’ve got 2½ months to figure that out.”
Philadelphia Flyers
First, kudos to general manager Daniel Briere for making a bold move to land a No. 1 center. But even though the team made the signing bonuses as large as possible, Anaheim matched. The Flyers end up in the same place as they were before the offer sheet.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winners, losers as Ducks match historic offer sheet to Leo Carlsson
