Anaheim matched the Philadelphia Flyers' 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.
"It's going to be a special feeling, having this pressure," Carlsson said Thursday. "I always wanted to be a Duck. It's my home, too. I'm just super excited to be back."
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek had told his peers privately that he would match any offer sheet for Carlsson, though he said Thursday that he was surprised by just how much Philadelphia put forward for a player who was finishing up an entry-level contract that paid $950,000 annually.
"Did we expect the offer sheet to be this high? No. We did not see that one coming," Verbeek said. "... It was surprising, to say the least. I actually feel flattered in a sense that Philadelphia wanted such a great player. It means we're doing a good job on our end. ... Players like Leo don't come along very often."
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, but owners Henry and Susan Samueli said it was "an easy decision."
The deal shakes up the Ducks' preexisting structure and tested whether ownership was willing to front unprecedented cash outlays. The contract is built almost entirely around signing bonuses, with just $4.7 million in total base salary over five years and roughly $85.3 million paid as bonuses. Carlsson will receive nearly $20 million immediately in Year 1.
"We have extremely high expectations for Leo," the Samuelis said in a statement. "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, 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 Vegas Golden Knights, who lost in the Stanley Cup Final.
"We're very confident in the sense that with the cap going up and the ability of Leo to make great strides of improvement and become an elite player, we feel confident that this contract will be a good one in the end," Verbeek said.
Anaheim had seven days to match Philadelphia's stunning offer sheet -- a rarely-used player acquisition tool in the NHL's collective bargaining agreement for restricted free agents without a contract, such as Carlsson.
It was a daring move for the Flyers, who have been rebuilding but are desperate for a franchise center. If Anaheim did not match the offer sheet, the Flyers would have had to give the Ducks four first round picks as compensation.
Carlsson said there were no hard feelings toward Anaheim about the way everything went down.
"It's a lot of business in hockey," Carlsson said. "I knew it, obviously, but it's more business than I thought. [The details are] something for my agent to answer more on, but [the offer sheet] was just too good to pass on. I think everybody understands that. I talked to my teammates a lot, and everybody was just happy for me and super-supportive with the decision I made."
With Carlsson's contract now set, the Ducks still have work to do. They already re-signed restricted free agent Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $7.2 million AAV) but now must find a new contract for Cutter Gauthier, who is also coming off a breakout season.
Verbeek said he has "2 1/2 months to figure out" how to fit Gauthier under the cap, possibly by dumping a veteran's salary.
"Certainly we are going to have to do business in a different type of manner moving forward, and so we will make the adjustments that we have to make," Verbeek said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.