The Philadelphia Flyers were trying their best to make a big splash this offseason. Perhaps the best way to do so is to sign a young, restricted free agent to an offer sheet. The Flyers did just that, as they signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet, which would have paid him $18 million per year over the next five seasons. The Flyers were more than willing to part with four first-round picks if the Ducks refused to match the offer. Yet, the Ducks didn't have an issue with the deal and matched it, officially making Carlsson to the richest contract in NHL history.
Plenty of credit was given to Flyers general manager Danny Briere for trying to take the team to the next level by addressing their need for a No. 1 center and by adding one of the bright young stars in the league. That's why they made the lucrative offer they made. With the Ducks matching, they were given a distinction that no team wants.
The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn unveiled his list for the 10 worst contracts in the NHL currently, based on the projected value through the remainder of the contract. Luszczyszyn had Carlsson's deal as the fourth-worst in the entire league.
Flyers helped Ducks take on one of the 'worst contracts' in NHL, according to The Athletic
"The Anaheim Ducks matched Philadelphia’s offer sheet on Leo Carlsson, and his placement on this list is exactly why the decision might’ve been legitimately difficult. Carlsson has a ton of growth potential, obviously, but $18 million is still a high-end rate reserved for the absolute best players in the world," writes Luszczyszyn. "Carlsson could get there, but even if that’s by Year 4 or 5, that’s a lot of cash to pay in the first three seasons for a maybe. If that. Over the total deal, the odds of Carlsson adding $90 million of value to Anaheim’s bottom line are low."
Did the Flyers avoid potential catastrophe? No, probably not. Carlsson is viewed as a high upside player who hasn't even reached his prime just yet. It's more the fact that he's the highest paid player in the league despite being in the league for three years. This past season, Carlsson scored 29 goals and recorded 38 assists through 70 games. The season prior, Carlsson had 45 points (20 goals and 25 assists) to his credit through 76 games. As a rookie, Carlsson had 29 points (12 goals and 17 assists) in 55 games. That is a lot of money being committed to a player that hasn't put up over 70 points in a season yet.
There's always a chance that Carlsson develops into a legitimate 90-100 point superstar, but at $18 million per year, you'd expect him to have reached that point. However, it goes to show just how confident the Flyers were in Carlsson's abilities, and essentially forced the Ducks to make a difficult decision. And they did, because now, they have to try and free up cap space for Cutter Gauthier's new contract, which could be somewhere near the Carlsson range in terms of annual salary. Not to mention, the Ducks will have to pay winger Bennett Sennecke long-term contract as well. With big money tied to three players, that would make it difficult for the Ducks to build a Stanley Cup-winning roster.
That is the point Luszczyszyn makes. While keeping Carlsson is a win, they need to see immediate results, especially as they enter a cap crunch.
"In the sense that the Ducks got to keep Carlsson around, it’s a win. But the contract efficiency aspect is a massive loss that will likely limit Anaheim’s ceiling over the length of Carlsson’s deal. Or at least until he becomes an $18 million player, which doesn’t feel likely anytime soon," writes Luszczyszyn.
It will be up to Carlsson to prove his doubters wrong and that he was deserving of his contract. It would have been interesting to see what the dialogue would have been had the Ducks refused to match the offer. But, Carlsson would have bolstered their center depth in the process. For now, it doesn't look as though the Flyers are going to go make a Carlsson-type splash before the start of the season.
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