The Anaheim Ducks announced Thursday that they will match the offer sheet submitted by the Philadelphia Flyers for young forward Leo Carlsson, keeping him in Anaheim on a five-year contract worth $90 million.
The agreement carries an average annual value of $18 million, making it the largest per-season salary in NHL history. At that figure, Carlsson, 21, now earns $1 million more per year than Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, who previously held the top spot. Carlsson had been playing under his entry-level deal, which paid him $950,000 per season.
Despite the massive offer from Philadelphia, Carlsson made clear where his heart was. “It was an offer that 99% of people would sign, too. It’s a pretty simple answer,” he said. “I really wanted to be here though. I really wanted them to match. I want to be an Anaheim Duck.”
Under the terms of the deal, Anaheim is prohibited from trading Carlsson for at least one year. His contract runs through 2031, at which point he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek expressed enthusiasm about keeping the young center in the fold. “We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years,” 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.”
The announcement came Thursday, one day before the matching deadline would have expired. Had Anaheim chosen not to match, the team would have received four first-round draft picks from Philadelphia as compensation.
Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli released a joint statement backing the decision. “Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo,” the statement read. “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 had a standout season in 2024-25, setting career bests with 29 goals, 38 assists, and 67 total points across 70 games. Since being chosen by the Ducks with the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, he has accumulated 141 points — 61 goals and 80 assists — over 201 career games.
