Ducks match Flyers' five-year, $90M offer to Leo Carlsson - ESPN

Anaheim matched Philadelphia Flyers's record-setting offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson on Thursday, meaning the 21-year-old center will remain with the Ducks on a five-year. $90 million contract that will make him the NHL's highest-paid player.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had told his peers privately that he would match any offer sheet for Carlsson, though sources told ESPN that Anaheim was surprised by just how much Philadelphia put forward for a player that was finishing up an entry level contract that paid $950,000 annually.

«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 in a statement. «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.»

Ahead of last season, Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov signed a contract to make him the league's highest-paid player at $17 million per season. Carlsson's contract will surpass that with a $18 million average annual value.

Carlsson, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL draft, scored 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games this season, which was slowed by injury. Anaheim reached the playoffs for the first time since 2018, and Carlsson was key in a first-round victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Carlsson scored four goals and 11 assists in a 12-game playoff run that ended in the second round to the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights.

«We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft,» Verbeek said in a statement. «He's a character person on