In what has been an already chaotic offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers decided to really send shockwaves throughout the NHL. Last week, the Flyers decided to sign Anaheim Ducks restricted free agent and center Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet. The offer was for five years, where he'd make $18 million per year, which would make Carlsson the highest paid players in the NHL.
To say the Flyers caught the Ducks by surprise is an understatement. The Ducks were prepared to make an offer for around $10-12 million per year. Now, they have to match the Flyers' contract offer, or risk losing him and gaining four first round picks within the next five years. It's a bad look for Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who took the gamble to wait to negotiate a new deal with Carlsson.
One NHL executive who recently spoke to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski said Verbeek's role in the Carlsson offer sheet is a "fireable offense."
NHL executive calls Pat Verbeek's Leo Carlsson offer sheet drama 'a fireable offense'
Wyshynski continued, bringing up that the Ducks could have signed Carlsson to a contract extension last year, which would have amounted to an eight year, $100 million contract extension. That's because Carlsson was willing to sign a contract extension last summer. The annual salary on that deal would have been $12.5 million.
Verbeek had a perfect chance to get something done with Carlsson, and he blew it. Now, the Flyers have put him in an uncomfortable situation. The Flyers are playing by the rules. Carlsson was eligible to sign an offer sheet, and the Flyers and general manager Danny Briere did just that. Carlsson agreed to the deal, so now, it's up to the Ducks to match it or take the four first round picks instead.
Wyshynski also brought up the hit they have taken in terms of depth over the years, while bringing up the likes of current Flyers players Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras.
"Plus, don't look now, but that wave of young stars who were supposed to power the Ducks for a decade has crashed," writes Wyshynski. "Drysdale, McTavish, Zegras and Olen Zellweger-- traded to Buffalo -- are gone. Carlsson could be gone. The Ducks have some young key core players -- Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Beckett Sennecke -- but suddenly perhaps not enough of them. There's certainly an argument to be made that Verbeek has the franchise trending in the wrong direction."
The Ducks have until July 10 to make their decision on Carlsson, and the Flyers will find out if they will ger the young center or if they will have to look for another player to target. Regardless of how it goes, one has to wonder if Verbeek's time in Anaheim will be ticking after the situation the Flyers put them in.
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