While Anaheim Ducks Center Leo Carlsson is ready to kickstart his 4^th season with the team, his latest remarks revealed what being a Duck meant for him.

The 21-year-old was set to become the highest-paid NHL star after the Philadelphia Flyers signed a 5-year, $90M offer sheet to him on July 3, 2026. However, the Ducks managed to match the Flyers’ offer this Thursday, much to Carlsson’s relief.

“I always wanted to be a Duck," Carlsson said, according to an article written by NHL.com’s Deputy Managing Editor, Adam Kimelman, published on July 10, 2026. "It's home too. So just super excited to be back… I always wanted to be here too. I just really hoped they would match."

The Ducks' decision to match surely relieved Carlsson. But this move also limited their salary cap flexibility, as they recently signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a 5-year, $36M contract extension. According to PuckPedia, the team now has barely $10M cap space left, and they’ve yet to sign LW Cutter Gauthier.

However, the Ducks chose to retain their cornerstone over four first-round compensatory picks, accepting an $18M annual cap hit and a tight financial spot to sign Gauthier.

But as much as Carlsson is relieved to be back, he admitted the Flyers' offer was nearly impossible to refuse.

The Weirdest Week in Leo Carlsson's Career

Finishing your season with 29 goals and 67 points (38 assists) and getting the NHL-high payout offer is surely something. While this basically announced Leo Carlsson's value all over the league, the center stated that anyone could've been swept by it.

"It was kind of an offer that I think everyone would sign," Carlsson said, according to another NHL.com article published on July 10, 2026. "When you see that number, it's hard to say no ... My team, they understand, too, completely. They would have done the same thing."

Luckily, none had to find out what Carlsson would’ve actually done had the Ducks not matched the numbers.

But while this move ended Carlsson’s “weirdest week”, Ducks’ GM Pat Verbeek has yet to figure out a way with Gauthier.

How do you think it’d go? Let us know in the comments.

Follow NHL Fan Central for more.

Written by

Deblina Roy