Leo Carlsson made sure he got paid. On Friday, the Philadelphia Flyers tendered Carlsson a five-year, $18 million average annual value offer sheet, a contract that could reshape the NHL landscape.

Whether the Anaheim Ducks elect to match the offer sheet or let him go and receive four first-round picks, one thing guaranteed is that Carlson will become the NHL’s highest-paid player. 

This is the second offer sheet we’ve seen this season, as the New Jersey Devils tendered a one-year, $4,775,000 offer sheet to Barrett Hayton. Like the Ducks, the Utah Mammoth are put in a difficult situation, but the levels that Carlsson and Hayton are at are very different. 

In everything that has occurred, outside of Anaheim’s decision, the most interesting factor in all of this is how Carlsson’s contract affects other players, specifically the remaining 2026 RFAs. 

Today, we are going to look at the top five remaining RFAs and how their contract situations have changed since the Carlsson offer sheet.

Connor Bedard was heading into the 2026 off-season with question marks surrounding him and the Chicago Blackhawks. After the first three seasons of his NHL career, the Blackhawks hadn’t made any meaningful progress and had failed to provide Bedard with a star linemate. 

There’s no question that the Blackhawks will likely give Bedard whatever he wants, but gauging his market was already difficult. Now, with the Carlsson offer sheet, it feels nearly impossible.

Carlsson has been compared to Bedard and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini because they are young high draft picks who almost instantly grabbed the No. 1 center role on their teams. Up to this point, Bedard and Celebrini have outproduced Carlsson, suggesting they should be paid more.

How will Carlsson’s contract, coming from an offer sheet, affect Bedard’s deal? 

Jason Robertson is in a different situation from Carlsson. Robertson will be 27 when the 2026-27 season kicks off and is far more established. He has eclipsed the 40-goal mark three times in his career and has scored north of 90 points twice. 

Robertson has far less to prove than Carlsson, but the organizational situation with Robertson is quite different. Robertson is on a Stanley Cup-contending team and was arguably the team’s best player last season. But Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill is uninterested in making Robertson the highest-paid player on the team, despite wanting to keep him on the roster. 

Someone is going to break, whether Robertson agrees to be paid similarly to Mikko Rantanen or Nill coughs up the money Robertson is asking for. Few teams have the luxury of sending four first-round picks in an offer sheet, but if they do, they will strike gold with Robertson. Teams have limited time to offer sheet Robertson. If he files for arbitration by the July 5 deadline, he becomes ineligible to receive an offer sheet.

Heading into the 2023 NHL draft, it was presumed that Adam Fantilli would go second overall behind Bedard. On draft night, the Ducks selected Carlsson instead. While the Ducks haven’t regretted their decision, the Columbus Blue Jackets are likely fairly pleased with what they have received from Fantilli in his three years in the NHL. 

Fantilli has steadily progressed, and he has begun to take on bigger roles. Despite all that, Fantilli won’t sniff $18 million per season like Carlsson, but it could drive up his asking price. The Blue Jackets risk losing Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, as both could possibly lean toward future trade requests. 

Locking up a star 21-year-old center is what the Blue Jackets need to remain afloat and avoid another rebuild. Where Fantilli’s AAV falls will be interesting, but it is likely considerably higher than what it was just a few days ago.

Out of everything that’s occurred, Cutter Gauthier might be the most affected by the Carlsson offer sheet. If the Ducks match the offer sheet, it will take a big dent out of their remaining salary cap, and with players like Beckett Sennecke needing contracts down the road, the Ducks are handcuffed.

Gauthier isn’t eligible for an offer sheet, but he is still deserving of a large extension. The 22-year-old potted 41 goals in his second NHL campaign and is on track to become one of the NHL’s premier snipers.

The Ducks are backed into a corner, and unless Gauthier is willing to take a massive discount, the hole the Ducks find themselves in will only grow. 

Another player directly impacted by Carlsson’s offer sheet is Trevor Zegras. Zegras rejuvenated his career in Philadelphia last season, scoring a career-high 26 goals and 67 points.

While Zegras does have some limitations defensively and physically, his skills and offensive production are exactly what the Flyers needed to make the playoffs. 

Now, at the end of a three-year contract he signed with the Ducks, Zegras is due for a pay raise. Zegras’ deal could come in at around $8-9 million annually, but how does the Carlsson contract affect the Flyers’ approach? 

Even with Carlsson, the Flyers still need Zegras’ offense, but will they be able to cough up the money to do so? If the Ducks do not match the offer sheet, the Flyers will be left with less than $12 million in salary cap space. It should be enough to extend Zegras, but it leaves them with little money to make other moves. 

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