Flyers Offer Carlsson Hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers are prepared to pay Anaheim center Leo Carlsson the highest annual salary at $18 million since the salary cap era began in 2005, now giving the Ducks seven days to match the offer. The Flyers tendered the five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Carlsson on Friday, which would require four of the Flyers first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation. The Anaheim Ducks have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal on the player, per the NHL collective bargaining agreement. General manager Pat Verbeek will not comment until the process is complete.

The Anaheim Ducks have matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson, keeping their rising star at an extraordinary cost. The 21-year-old Carlsson is now the NHL’s highest-paid player under the five-year, $90 million deal extended by the Flyers one week ago. Carlsson agreed to the offer sheet with the Flyers after a year of fruitless negotiations with Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek, whose hardline approach in contract negotiations with his young core backfired tremendously this time. Carlsson’s new contract is worth much more than anyone expected he would get as a restricted free agent.