Flyers signal Geese C Leo Carlsson to document 5-year, $90 million provide sheet

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Anaheim Geese heart Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million provide sheet, the workforce introduced on Friday. No matter what occurs from right here, Carlsson will grow to be the very best paid participant in NHL historical past at $18 million per yr, passing Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov.

Carlsson, 21, was a restricted free agent after finishing his entry-level contract with the Geese. Anaheim now has seven days to match Philadelphia’s provide, or it’ll obtain 4 first-round picks from the Flyers in alternate for shedding Carlsson.

The No. 2 total choose within the 2023 NHL Draft, Carlsson is properly on his technique to changing into a famous person heart within the NHL. In simply 201 profession video games, Carlsson has piled up 61 objectives and 80 assists whereas flashing some wonderful two-way potential. Final season, Carlsson took a noticeable step ahead whereas main Anaheim to its first playoff look since 2018.

Carlsson fell simply shy of changing into a point-per-game participant with 67 factors in 70 video games, and he posted a five-on-five anticipated objectives share of 53.4%, per Pure Stat Trick. These are glowing numbers for a middle of his age, and he ought to solely proceed to enhance over the subsequent few seasons.

The Flyers, in the meantime, had a necessity at heart. Final offseason, Philadelphia picked up former Duck Trevor Zegras in a commerce with Anaheim, and he was a revelation for the Flyers. Zegras posted a profession yr with 26 objectives and 41 assists whereas additionally making nice strides defensively underneath first-year coach Rick Tocchet.

Nonetheless, Philadephia is in want of a real No. 1 heart on the high of the lineup, and this transfer would assist the workforce test that field with out tanking or counting on draft lottery luck. The Flyers appeared to be a workforce on the rise in 2025-26, and signing Carlsson would solely speed up that ascension.

The massive query for Philadelphia — and now for Anaheim — is whether or not Carlsson can grow to be an $18 million participant. He is not there but, however given his age and future wage cap projections, he might get shut. Gamers of Carlsson’s caliber are very arduous to seek out, so even Phildelphia did overpay a bit, it may be value it simply to know the workforce has its franchise heart locked down for the forseeable future.

On the opposite aspect of the nation, the Geese are in an actual bind. They’ve already misplaced 4 members of their blue line within the offseason with Jacob Trouba (free company), Radko Gudas (free company), John Carlson (free company) and Olen Zellweger (commerce) going out the door. Dropping Carlsson, the largest prize of the workforce’s six-year rebuild, would flip a troublesome scenario right into a catastrophe for Anaheim.

The trail of least resistance, which could be the appropriate one, may be for the Geese to match the Flyers’ provide and hold Carlsson within the fold. Anaheim has the room to soak up Carlsson’s new cap hit, however it will have much less cash to improve the protection. If common supervisor Pat Verbeek would not consider Carlsson is value that cash, he might take the 4 first-round picks and newfound cap area and go big-game looking himself. It is simply arduous to think about the Geese discover one other rising famous person to interchange the one they misplaced.

How do provide sheets work?

Till they accrue seven years of NHL service or attain the age of 27 — whichever comes first — gamers grow to be restricted free brokers when their contracts expire. When that occurs, different groups can submit provide sheets. If that occurs, the workforce that presently holds the participant’s rights has seven days to match the provide sheet or let the participant go, whereupon it will obtain compensation within the type of draft capital.

The draft compensation varies relying on how the annual worth of the contract. Carlsson’s document deal clearly falls into the very best tier, which requires 4 draft picks over the subsequent 5 years. Philadelphia presently has 5 first-round picks over the subsequent 4 years, so it could actually pay that value and have one choice left over.

2026-27 provide sheet draft compensation

Supply sheets have not been all that widespread, however groups are lastly beginning to use them as worthwhile roster-building device. Utilizing them to pluck worthwhile depth from cap-strapped opponents has been extra widespread, however the Flyers would possibly begin a brand new development within the NHL.

Let one other workforce draft and develop a younger star, then throw a boatload of cash at him as quickly as he hits the market. There’s at all times the prospect the unique workforce matches the provide sheet, however no actual hurt comes of that, apart from perhaps some dangerous blood.

If opponents are going to danger shedding their finest younger gamers by permitting them to hit restricted free company, why not make them pay? On this case, Anaheim will both watch its franchise cornerstone go to Philadelphia, or will probably be pay an unlimited sum of cash to maintain him.

Let this be a lesson to different groups with budding superstars: Get them prolonged early or danger a significant headache.