Anaheim Ducks Match Leo Carlsson Offer Sheet

Leo Carlsson will remain an Anaheim Duck.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday, that the Ducks have indeed matched the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet for Carlsson, which is slated for a five-year contract, at $18 million AAV. The Ducks entered the day with close to $30 million in cap space and now with the new deal on their books, only have $9 million in cap space to work with. 

This has been quite the turn of events after Flyers GM Daniel Briere got Carlsson to sign, who now becomes the NHL's highest paid player. Many felt the Ducks would match, but several insiders have reported the team has been busy trying to move wingers Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano. 

Carlsson, 21, was the second-overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft and has been a stellar addition to the Ducks core, and has potential to be one of the most dominant players in the league. Now, he has to live up to his contract or else things are going to go south in a hurry for the Ducks' development. Carlsson appeared in 70 games last season, scoring 29 goals and 67 points, and added another 11 points in his first 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Flyers now move on to other things. Briere has $29.5 million in cap space to work with and reportedly will now set his sights on Columbus Blue Jackets restricted free-agent forward Adam Fantilli, or Philly will try to convince Dylan Larkin to include the Flyers on his trade-approval list.

Statement from Ducks owners Henry & Susan Samueli: “Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo. 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.”


Five more years of LEO!https://t.co/3uscSK2GmJ

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) July 9, 2026