Carlsson becomes NHL's top-paid as Ducks match $90M offer
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- Anaheim Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers' $90 million offer sheet for Leo Carlsson on a five-year deal at $18 million AAV, surpassing Kirill Kaprizov's $17 million AAV as the league's highest.
- Carlsson's contract is structured almost entirely as signing bonuses — $85.3 million in bonuses versus just $4.7 million in total base salary across five years — with nearly $20 million paid immediately in Year 1.
- The Flyers' offer sheet was a rare and aggressive play for a restricted free agent; had the Ducks declined to match, Philadelphia would have owed Anaheim four first-round picks as compensation.
- Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL draft, posted 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games this season and added 4 goals and 11 assists in a 12-game playoff run as Anaheim reached the postseason for the first time since 2018.
- Ducks GM Pat Verbeek had privately told peers he would match any offer sheet, with owners Henry and Susan Samueli stating the matching was an 'easy decision' and that they view Carlsson as a franchise player.
- The Ducks still have unfinished business, having already re-signed RFA defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $7.2M AAV) while still needing a new deal for breakout forward Cutter Gauthier, also a restricted free agent.
Why it matters: Anaheim's Samueli ownership is now on the hook for roughly $85.3 million in signing bonuses over five years — with nearly $20 million due immediately — an unprecedented front-loaded cash outlay that tests whether the Ducks can build around Carlsson while also re-signing breakout RFA Cutter Gauthier. Philadelphia's failed gambit, which would have cost four first-round picks if unmatched, exposes the Flyers' desperation for a franchise center and the limits of the offer-sheet weapon in today's NHL.
