Anaheim Ducks centre Leo Carlsson celebrates his empty-net goal in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers on April 30.Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press
The Philadelphia Flyers are prepared to pay Anaheim centre Leo Carlsson the highest annual salary at US$18-million since the salary cap era began in 2005, now giving the Ducks seven days to match the offer.
The Flyers tendered the five-year, US$90-million offer sheet to Carlsson on Friday, which would require four of the Flyers’ first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation.
The Ducks have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal on the player, per the NHL collective bargaining agreement.
The offer sheet comes 14 years after the Flyers, under previous management, offer-sheeted Nashville defenseman Shea Weber for US$110-million over 14 years, which the Predators matched.
The 21-year-old Carlsson had 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games last season with the Ducks. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games to help lead Anaheim to the second round.
A native of Karlstad, Sweden, Carlsson has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 regular-season games with the Ducks. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound centre was selected by Anaheim second overall in the 2023 draft.
The Minnesota Wild in September signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, US$136-million extension, giving him the richest contract in NHL history.
Kaprizov will count US$17-million against the salary cap beginning next season, through 2034. That’s the highest annual average salary of any player since the league’s cap era began in 2005, surpassing Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl at US$112-million over eight years, a US$14-million annual average.
Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, US$124-million contract signed with Washington in 2008 was previously the highest total value.