The Anaheim Ducks have made it known they would match any offer sheet presented to young stars and RFAs Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier.

The Philadelphia Flyers are putting that to the test in crazy fashion.

The most shocking free-agent signing of this off-season happened on Friday, when Philadelphia tendered an offer sheet to Carlsson worth a stunning $18 million annually for the next five seasons.

It's time for Ducks GM Pat Verbeek to put his money where his mouth is.

The Ducks should do what they said they'd do and match Philly's offer sheet to Carlsson rather than let him go and accept the four first-round draft picks as compensation.

Carlsson, 21, is a cornerstone component in Anaheim. He had 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games this past season as a 21-year-old. That's terrific progress for Carlsson, who's about to have the highest cap hit in the NHL.

Let's drill down on that for a moment: whether it's in Anaheim or Philadelphia, Carlsson will average $5.5 million more per season than Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid and $4 million more than another Oilers center, Leon Draisaitl.

Carlsson will also be earning $1 million more per season than Minnesota Wild superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov, whose $17-million cap hit crushed the record for the highest in the NHL's Salary Cap Era.

When you look at what those superstars have accomplished, you can rationalize their exorbitant salaries.

Can the Flyers or Ducks rationalize an $18 million salary for Carlsson? Probably not, but the beauty and cruelty of offer sheets is making a massive offer that will be difficult for the other team to match.

As such, Flyers GM Daniel Briere has made a calculated risk in signing Carlsson to an offer sheet.

If Verbeek doesn't want to upset the financial apple cart in Anaheim, he could take the four first-round draft picks and hope they find another top center. But if he does match it, Verbeek will set a new standard for the development of young players.

This move by Briere marks the second time the Flyers have attempted to put the screws to a rival team with an offer sheet.

In 2012, Philadelphia signed star defenseman Shea Weber to a massive 14-year, $110-million offer sheet. But the Nashville Predators matched it, and that contract for Weber just expired at the end of the 2025-26 season. 

Carlsson's offer sheet isn't as long as it could've been in theory, but make no mistake – the Flyers clearly believe there's a chance Anaheim lets Carlsson walk. It may not be the most likely scenario, but stranger things have happened.

The Ducks have more than enough cap space to keep Carlsson in the fold. They would have about $17 million left if they were to match Carlsson's contract.

Even if that cap hit is twice as high as the $9 million salary Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe agreed to on an extension, there should be enough room to re-sign Gauthier, who led Anaheim in scoring and almost certainly doesn't want to sign any contract with Philadelphia, the team he wouldn't sign with after drafting him.

But the cost of doing business just went through the roof, and Verbeek now has to either invest in Carlsson to a degree no other team has in an up-and-coming youngster, or take a bullet and let Carlsson go to the Flyers.

Carlsson is one of the game's brightest young stars, but he clearly thinks he's ready for the expectations that will come with being the highest-paid player in the game.

We suspected that one young star or another would set a new ceiling for player salaries, but now we know which youngster has raised the monetary bar.

The Flyers were bold enough to push Carlsson and the Ducks to a crossroads. And now it's up to Verbeek to pay Carlsson a truckload of money or see their franchise center walk to the City of Brotherly Love.

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