Flyers tender offer sheet to Ducks star Leo Carlsson - ESPN

The Philadelphia Flyers said Friday that they have tendered an offer to sheet to Anaheim Ducks star center Leo Carlsson for a five-year deal that's worth $18 million annually.

Carlsson being a restricted free agent means that he's still under team control by the Ducks, who now have seven days to match the offer submitted by the Flyers, per the NHL and NHL Players Association collective bargaining agreement.

Philadelphia, in the event Anaheim fails to match its offer, must give its four first-round picks over the next four seasons as compensation.

The AAV would make Carlsson the highest-paid player in the NHL, topping Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl at $14 million annually. Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov was set to take over the top spot at $17 million when his new contract kicks in next season. Carlsson would outpace that All-Star as well.

The Ducks announced they would not make an immediate decision. General manager Pat Verbeek will not comment until the process is complete.

Anaheim is projected to have $35.173 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. One of the reasons the Ducks were limited compared with other teams throughout the Western Conference in free agency was because of players such as Carlsson needing new deals.

Philadelphia is projected to have more than $29 million in cap space. Carlsson would add to a group that already has eight players with more than three years remaining on their deals.

Signing Carlsson would still leave the Flyers with enough cap space to also get a deal done for RFA center Trevor Zegras, the former Duck who was traded to the Flyers last June for forward Ryan Poehling and a pair of draft picks.

Carlsson is one of three prominent RFAs for the Ducks. It's a group that includes