Flyers’ Offer Sheet for Carlsson Matched by Anaheim

The dream is officially over. Leo Carlsson will be staying in Anaheim.

The Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet, a five-year deal with an $18 million AAV, for Carlsson on Thursday, keeping the 21-year-old with the team.

The Flyers took their shot, getting Carlsson to agree to terms on the offer sheet last Friday. Anaheim had seven days to match.

It was always anticipated that the Ducks would match. GM Pat Verbeek had previously made clear that the team would match any offer sheet. Despite the Flyers’ best efforts, the highest AAV in NHL history and a front-loaded deal heavily structured around signing bonuses, the Ducks keep their franchise player and former second overall pick.

Unless the Flyers make any additional moves, this pretty much closes out any new additions for the offseason. They made a trade with Toronto to acquire goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit, then signed Noel Acciari to a two-year deal.

Adding Carlsson would have filled the top-line center role the Flyers have longed to fill. The 21-year-old scored 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games with Anaheim last season. In 201 career games, Carlsson has 61 goals and 141 points.

The Flyers still have RFAs Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Nikita Grebenkin, and Hunter McDonald due for contracts. They have $29.565 million in cap space.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.