The Philadelphia Flyers just made a move that could reshape the NHL’s salary structure—if Anaheim lets it happen.

The Flyers have signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet worth $18 million annually. If accepted, Carlsson would become the highest-paid player in the league by average annual value.

The offer was announced Friday, giving Anaheim until 3 p.m. ET on July 10 to match. If the Ducks decline, Carlsson heads to Philadelphia and Anaheim receives four first-round draft picks over the next four years.

Carlsson’s $18 million AAV would surpass Kirill Kaprizov's $17 million deal with the Minnesota Wild. It would also surpass Leon Draisaitl's $14 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers. No team has ever successfully acquired a player at this highest compensation tier since the NHL introduced its current draft-pick system.

Whatever team gets him, Carlsson becomes the league's highest-paid player once the Ducks make their call.

Flyers general manager Daniel Briere confirmed this directly.
"The Philadelphia Flyers have tendered an offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson."

“The offer is a five-year contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $18M, which would require four of the Flyers' first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation,"  Briere stated as per NHL.com

The four first-round picks represent the steepest price possible under NHL rules, underscoring how much Philadelphia values Carlsson.

Carlsson, despite being the No. 2 pick in 2023, has yet to post a season above 67 points.

He set an NHL career high with 29 goals, 38 assists, and 67 points in 70 games, just last season. Carlsson scored 11 points in 12 playoff games as the Ducks reached the second round for the first time since 2017-18. 

The contract is filled with signing bonuses, close to $20 million due once it is registered with the league.

If Anaheim matches that contract, Carlsson's cap hit would take up more than 17 percent of the team's space. It would be under the NHL's record $104 million salary cap for 2026-27. But still, the Ducks would have close to $10 million in space.

Does the Price Match the Production?

Carlsson is the second player to receive an offer sheet this offseason.

The New Jersey Devils gave a one-year, $4.775 million offer to Utah Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton on July 1.  This situation was discussed in an article from ESPN.

The size of the offer has split opinion among the fans, making them question if a player whose career high is 67 points really deserves $18 million annually. 

That is clearly less than the career-best totals of Kaprizov, who has reached 108 points, and Draisaitl, who has reached 128, the two players whose average salary is less than Carlsson's new offer.

Meanwhile, Anaheim’s roster has already lost forwards Jamie Drysdale and Mason McTavish, along with defensemen Trevor Zegras and Olen Zellweger in the past year.

If Carlsson departs too, the Ducks’ young core would hinge on Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, and Beckett Sennecke.

Should Anaheim match the price or let Carlsson go? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Koushik Biswas