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NHL Rumor Roundup: Ongoing Fallout From The Carlsson Offer Sheet And Latest Hurricanes Buzz
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The Ducks could have difficulty re-signing Cutter Gauthier regardless of whether they match Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet, plus the Hurricanes could be considering more offer-sheet shenanigans
The aftershocks from the
Philadelphia Flyers signing Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to an
offer sheet continue to be felt around the NHL
For the Ducks, matching
that five-year offer and its monstrous $18 million average annual
value would leave them with less than $10 million of salary-cap
space for this season
Eric Stephens of The Athletic believes it
would make it difficult to re-sign left winger Cutter Gauthier
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Like Carlsson, the 22-year-old
Gauthier is an RFA coming off his entry-level
contract. Fortunately for the Ducks, he lacks sufficient NHL time for
offer sheet eligibility. Nevertheless, he can point to his
team-leading 41 goals and 69 points as justification to earn as much
as Carlsson
Gauthier’s lack of arbitration
rights gives Ducks GM Pat Verbeek leverage in their
negotiations. He could attempt to play hardball, but it probably
isn’t a good tactic at this juncture
Verbeek could get Gauthier to
accept less than Carlsson, but it’s doubtful that he gets less than
$10 million annually. That would force the Ducks to shed salary with
a trade or two to become salary-cap compliant before the start of the
regular season
The Ducks will get some cap
relief by placing the sidelined Troy Terry on long-term injured reserve to start the
season, but they still must move somebody to free up cap room for
Terry’s expected return in December
If they don’t match the offer
sheet, the Ducks must find a suitable replacement for Carlsson as
their first-line center
Stephens suggested Dylan Larkin
of the Detroit Red Wings as one option, but noted that the
29-year-old center has reached his ceiling. The Ducks also aren’t
on his three-team list of trade destinations. Stephens also proposed
Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders, but there’s no certainty
they want to part with him
thehockeynews.comThe NHL Needs More Heels Like The Flyers After Leo Carlsson Offer SheetThe NHL should be thanking the Flyers for playing the villain and signing Leo Carlsson to a massive offer sheet. The now-heightened animosity between them and the Ducks is what the game needs.
Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte
Friedman wondered what effect Carlsson’s offer sheet would have on
the San Jose Sharks’ efforts to sign superstar center Macklin
Celebrini to an extension
Celebrini, 20, is in the final
season of his entry-level contract. The Sharks can sign him this
summer and could do so to avoid their franchise player becoming an
offer-sheet target next July
Friedman mused about whether the
Sharks will try to convince Celebrini not to seek the league maximum
salary on his next deal. With the salary cap rising to $113 million
for 2027-28, the maximum would be $22.6 million
thehockeynews.comA NEW ERA: Flyers Offer Sheet Kick Starts a New Era of Salaries With Major Implications for the SharksThe San Jose Sharks were always going to have to back up the Brinks truck to sign their young superstars next summer, but with one swipe of a pen, Leo Carlsson and the Philadelphia Flyers have changed the entire landscape of the NHL.
Speaking of offer sheets,
Friedman said the Carolina Hurricanes are hoping to use one to make a
big splash this summer. He felt that they might have been looking into
Simon Edvinsson of the Red Wings
The Hurricanes could be seeking a
replacement for defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who is reportedly on
the trade block. Friedman indicated they’re also trying to
include center Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the deal, which would clear his
$4.25-million cap hit from their books
If the Hurricanes were hoping to
sign away Edvinsson, they’re unlikely to be successful. Kevin Allen
of Detroit Hockey Now reports the Red Wings have set aside $12
million in case the 23-year-old blueliner signs an offer sheet
Friedman also said the Hurricanes
considered the possibility of signing a player to an offer sheet and
then trading him if the signing was successful. Teams that match an
offer sheet cannot trade the player for one year, but there are no
trade restrictions for teams that have successfully signed away a player
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