Leo Carlsson's offer sheet did more than make him the highest-paid player in the NHL on an annual basis. It reshaped the entire NHL contract landscape, and the Anaheim Ducks star knows it.
Speaking at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Carlsson addressed the fallout from his five-year, $80 million offer sheet, which was tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers and matched by Anaheim. It was a deal that sent shockwaves through the league and sparked a wave of rising contracts across the board.
Carlsson said he's heard directly from his peers about the impact. "Players are thanking me," he said, according to Mark Lazerus, acknowledging the new market his contract helped create.
But that shift has come with real consequences in Anaheim. Carlsson was asked about the Ducks placing veteran Chris Kreider on waivers in a bid to eventually terminate his contract and clear cap space.
The Ducks, who weren’t at all properly prepared to handle an offer sheet of this size, now have to sign Cutter Gauthier, and eventually Beckett Sennecke. The team, run by GM Pat Verbeek, is in a financial squeeze created by Carlsson's own deal.
"Chris, he's leaving, but he's also really happy for me as well," Carlsson said. "It's a hard business.
NHL Rumor Roundup: Cutter Gauthier Reportedly Rejects Ducks Offer, Latest Buzz On Pavel Zacha The cost of signing Cutter Gauthier remains high for the Anaheim Ducks. Meanwhile, there's ongoing speculation over Pavel Zacha's future with the Boston Bruins.
That it is, and the rest of the NHL is learning it too. The ripple effect is wide-reaching.
It goes well beyond the Ducks. Following Carlsson's offer sheet, several other young NHL stars saw their markets shift as teams reassessed what top-tier talent is worth.
RFAs like Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini all became more expensive propositions for their respective teams. Bedard signed a $15-million-per-year contract over five years.
Celebrini came in with an $18.8-million cap hit over the same term. Not long after, Cale Makar signed a massive eight-year deal for $20.4 million per year.
His situation was different as a 27-year-old superstar defenseman and UFA, but the trend was obvious. Big salaries are here, and $9- to $10-million cap hits