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.
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.
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.
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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