Up until a little after 3:00 PM EST on Friday, July 3, the Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Daniel Briere had delivered a relatively quiet, underwhelming offseason.
Then, Briere threw a metaphorical bomb into the entirety of the NHL.
Just after 3 PM, the Flyers announced that they had signed Anaheim Ducks 21-year old top-line center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet, with an $18 million yearly cap hit that would immediately make Carlsson the highest-paid player in hockey.
It’s been quite a while since the Philadelphia Flyers have attempted such an aggressive move. Which means that fans surely have plenty of questions about the details of Briere’s bold decision to try and poach Carlsson — the second overall pick from the 2023 draft — from Anaheim. So let’s dive into all of the big questions surrounding the move, why it happened, and what comes next for both the Flyers and the Ducks.
Does this mean that the Flyers definitely get Leo Carlsson?
No. It does not.
Leo Carlsson was a free agent, but he was a restricted free agent, which means that while he was free to sign a contract with any club once his last deal expired (as it did on July 1), his current team the Ducks would have the right to match any contract offer that Carlsson signed. In other words, they can choose to match the Flyers’ massive offer.
But to be clear: Carlsson has signed the contract. It has not merely been “offered” to him. He has put his name on the dotted line, and this will be his next NHL contract. It just still needs to be determined which team will be on the hook for that contract: the Flyers, or the Ducks.
The Ducks don’t have to make the decision on matching immediately. Per the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, Anaheim has seven days from the time the offer sheet was signed to make a decision on whether they intend to match, meaning they have until next Friday afternoon (July 10) to make up their minds.
If Pat Verbeek (the Ducks GM) chooses to match the Flyers’ offer sheet, they keep Carlsson. If they choose not to match, the Flyers get him — but the Flyers would then have to pay the Ducks compensation in the form of four first-round picks as a result of poaching Anaheim’s player, picks that cannot be traded elsewhere by the Flyers during the seven-day waiting period.
Diehard Exclusive
Unlock Your Full Philadelphia Flyers Experience
This premium content is a Philadelphia Flyers Diehard exclusive.
DIEHARD MEMBERSHIP
As a Diehard, you'll get:
Cancel anytime. No questions asked.
You're already a Diehard! Manage your subscription from your dashboard.
Already a Diehard?
Sign In
19 Comments (16 conversations)
Brian Coulter
“ After all, if he’s willing to do this, what won’t he try?”
That’s exactly it. The NHL is now on notice. A lot of change around the league will happen in the next few years based off this singular move.
Charles O'Connor
Excellent article Charlie. Thanks for explaining everything in depth. What an exciting time to be a Flyers fan. Ya never know what’s going to happen next. Stay tuned…
p f
Great article, Charlie. Exciting to see the team recognize and take a shot for a big need, even if it gets matched. I’ll keep my excitement in check, but Carlsson would be franchise altering.
I do wonder how his success last season in the Duck’s rush system will work with Tocchet’s offense, but that would be a good problem to have.
jonas
This is a masterclass by Briere. If Verbeek blinks, it screws with his plans, and we get a star in the making. If he matches, it still screws with his plans. Either way, it screw with Cutter. And it shows the Flyers might be the most serious players in the free agent market.
I can’t imagine our GM has any serious, good-faith detractors left.
Sean Moore
Sir, these are the Philadelphia Flyers. There will always be people upset about something. “Should’ve gone higher.” “Should’ve done it sooner.” “Shouldn’t have pissed off the rest of the league.”
Bryan
Really happy to see that Briere is willing to go to this length, even if so many teams won’t put together offer sheets.
Charlie, do you think this could also have any implication on the Gauthier negotiations if they match? He hasn’t been shy to make his wishes known and his linemate getting 18M/yr to his ~11 probably wouldn’t sit well with him.
Charlie O'Connor
AuthorI honestly don’t know. I guess it’s possible, but I don’t know how Gauthier will take this.
Rob Falcone
Charlie if they do match, would the Flyers pivot to another RFA like Fantilli?
Charlie O'Connor
AuthorMaybe! After doing this, Briere has made it clear he’ll leave no stone unturned. That said. he would have to find a player willing to sign.
Andrew Salayda
Great article. This is going to be like the week where we had to wait to find out if we got Lindros.
Randy
Oh Lord! Please, before I die, let me see a first line of T. Foerster, L. Carlsson, P. Martone, which very well could be the best in Flyers uniforms since the Legion of Doom.
I suspect it won’t happen, so I am w/ Rob (above), Charlie…wondering if this one doesn’t work out, does Danny Boy pivot and try another offer sheet elsewhere before this fall???
Jason Wesolowski
Is there a world where Carlsson feels slighted by the Ducks negotiations and the relationship has soured enough that he asks them not to match?
Vandit Kalia
This is going to be the longest week EVER.
If they get Carlsson, they are a legit good squad, missing just a PP QB to become a very well-rounded team.
JASON FRANK
One other point….the owner(s) of the Ducks may not want to match either, especially with a front heavy contract of bonuses. There is a good chance the Verbeek will have to pass because his boss tells him too.
Kiall Jennett
I think the real poison pill of this contract is the 5 year term. Yes its 5M more than Ducks expected to pay, and yes its 40M front loaded they will struggle to come up with and yes they will have other RFA’s wanting more and they will not have the cap room to improve their team at all.
But the 5 year term is what they have to be looking at – if they had structured the contract it would have bee 7-8 years to own his prime but whoever gets him will have to consider trading him in year 4 to ensure he doesn’t walk and Ducks have to know they are wearing the Black Hat and he will indeed walk. Flyers are wearing the White Hat and could get an extension done. I think this is closer to 1/3 chance the Flyers get him. 50:50 even with a trade involved.
Dave Sutton
I think there is no way that the Ducks just accept the 4 first round picks. I do think it’s possible that they indicate that they will not match if the Flyers offer up a couple of talented players of of their roster, such as Tippett and a defenseman they may relent and allow the Flyers to overpay.
Chad Ernisse
Great article. Thanks Charlie.
Michael S
I find the NMC in year 5 interesting. Carlsson controls his destiny the year before he heads into free agency. If Verbeek matches, I’m sure he will not love that extra bit of player control that Briere added!
Michael S
LOL! Someone in IT messed up and now comments are displayed with real names instead of with the display nicknames.
Send me the source code and I’ll fix it!