The Anaheim Ducks matched Philadelphia’s record-setting offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, keeping their 21-year-old center at a league-high $18 million cap hit. But the damage from Daniel Briere’s move doesn’t stop in Anaheim. By resetting the market for young, franchise-caliber talent, the Flyers may have just made life more expensive for half the league.
Even in “victory,” the Ducks are squeezed. Matching Carlsson leaves them with roughly $9 million in cap space, and winger Cutter Gauthier — coming off a 41-goal, 69-point season — is still unsigned. Gauthier isn’t offer-sheet-eligible, but he doesn’t need to be; he can simply point to Carlsson’s number and ask for something close to it. Analysts now peg his price at $13-15 million, which would push Anaheim over the cap and force a trade just to get compliant before the season starts.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there for the Ducks. Forward Beckett Sennecke’s eventual extension looms right behind that. They also just paid top dollar for defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. That was a direct result of the offer sheet.