Leo Carlsson Becomes NHL's Highest-Paid Player as $90M Flyers Offer Sheet Matched by Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are matching an offer sheet that will make center Leo Carlsson the highest-paid player in the NHL.

The Ducks agreed to match a five-year, $18 million AAV offer sheet tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced Thursday.

The Flyers tendered the $90 million offer sheet July 3, after which the Ducks had seven days to respond.

"Leo is viewed as a top player in this league, and it was always our intention to match any offer sheet," general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement.

Anaheim would have received four first-round picks as compensation had they declined to match the Flyers' offer.

The Flyers will instead retain those picks while the Ducks get to keep Carlsson under contract through the 2030-31 campaign.

Paying Carlsson an NHL-record $18 million per season is a bet that cost for a top center will age well as the salary cap continues increasing.

Carlsson, the No. 2 pick of the 2023 draft, is coming out of an age-21 season during which he contributed 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 70 games while anchoring the Ducks' top line.

He also went 44.4 percent at the dot while ranking second among Ducks skaters in face-offs taken.

Carlsson stepped up during the playoffs to contribute 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 12 playoff games to help lead the Ducks to the second round in the franchise's first playoff berth since 2018.

The Ducks passing on a chance to stock up on first-rounders is a signal the franchise is hoping they've now exited their rebuilding phase and can build more postseason contenders around the team's young core of Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier.

The Flyers may need to consider searching for a top line center who can provide an upgrade over Christian Dvorak as the free agency period continues this offseason.

For now, Philadelphia is heading into next season with Dvorak leading the center depth chart over Noah Cates and Noel Acciari.

Losing out on Carlsson raises the stakes regarding the restricted free agency of Trevor Zegras, who filed for arbitration last weekend. The Flyers will now be under more pressure to find resolution on a new contract for Zegras.