Ducks match Carlsson 5-year, $90 million offer sheet from Flyers

Leo Carlsson is staying with the Anaheim Ducks.

The center will sign a five-year, $90 million contract with the Ducks on Thursday after they matched an offer sheet tendered to the 21-year-old center by the Philadelphia Flyers on July 3.

The contract has an average annual value of $18 million, the richest in NHL history.

“We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft. He’s a character person on and off the ice. Leo is viewed as a top player in this league, and it was always our intention to match any offer sheet.”

Anaheim had until Friday to either match the offer sheet or allow Carlsson to join Philadelphia. If the Ducks had decided not to match the contract, they would have received four first-round draft picks from the Flyers as compensation.

Carlsson set NHL career highs in goals (29), assists (38) and points (67) in 70 regular-season games for Anaheim last season. He also had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Selected by the Ducks with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Carlsson has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 regular-season games over three seasons. He completed a three-year, entry-level contract he signed on July 12, 2023. 

“Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said. “We have extremely high expectations for Leo. We firmly believe he will continue his strong growth trajectory and become one of the truly elite centers in the League, while continuing to make a strong impact in our community.”

Carlsson was the second player to receive an offer sheet this offseason; on Wednesday, the Utah Mammoth matched the one-year, $4.775 million contract given to forward Barrett Hayton by the New Jersey Devils on July 2.