The Anaheim Ducks’ franchise centre is staying put in Orange County.

The team announced Thursday morning their decision to match the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet for Leo Carlsson — a five-year deal with an average annual value of $18 million.

The contract has the highest AAV in NHL history, surpassing Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million AAV deal that goes into effect this season.

Carlsson was a restricted free agent after playing out his three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks, which carried a $950,000 cap hit.

The 21-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign in which he established himself as the team’s top-line centre. Carlsson scored 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points in 70 games and followed it up with 11 points in 12 playoff games.

The Ducks have their cornerstone player locked up, but the offer sheet situation leaves them with little room for error in upcoming contract negotiations. The team still needs to agree on a contract extension for restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier. He had 41 goals and 69 points last season, leading the team in both categories.

According to Puckpedia, Anaheim has $9.073 million in projected cap space following the signing of Carlsson. Before that, the club had focused primarily on signing depth players, but AJ Greer’s $4.25 million cap hit and Pavel Mintyukov’s $7.2 million extension have left them without much wiggle room.

The Ducks will have $7 million forward Troy Terry on LTIR to start the season as he recovers from offseason hip surgery. They may also explore trading veterans like Frank Vatrano ($4.57 million cap hit through 2028) to clear space.

Last season, Anaheim finished third in the Pacific Division and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. They were eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round, losing the series in six games.

Now that the dust has settled on NHL free agency, much of the focus this summer will be centred on the trade market.

Seattle Kraken centre Shane Wright could be at the forefront of those conversations. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this month that the Kraken had begun working with Wright’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, who said the team has “agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young centre.”

Daily Faceoff’s Mike Gould highlighted five potential landing spots for the 22-year-old:

The Flames are in search of help down the middle as they press forward in their rebuild. So far, they have recent first-rounders in Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, and Jack Hextall as the best centre prospects in their pipeline. Each project is to be a middle-six option at the NHL level.

If the Flames deem Wright the right target, the team has plenty of draft picks and NHL players like Morgan Frost and Connor Zary who could be trade bait.

Despite being in their rebuild phase, the Blackhawks have been aggressive on the trade market in recent months. The team recently acquired Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster deal to try to bring in a cornerstone defenceman.

With three first-round picks at their disposal in 2027, Chicago has the assets to acquire Wright. He would no doubt have a bigger role with the Blackhawks, especially with Connor Bedard on the shelf to start 2026-27.

The Devils took a swing at a young centre earlier this summer when they tendered Barrett Hayton to an offer sheet. Now that the Mammoth have matched, the Devils may be in search of other options to add youth and depth at centre. Thanks to the Simon Nemec trade, the team has the draft capital to make it happen.

The Penguins are currently balancing a delicate tightrope act of competing while they still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and building for the future. Wright fits the bill as a player who could provide immediate help, with plenty of room to grow over the next few years.

Kyle Dubas has the assets for a trade, but his recent acquisition of Hendrix Lapierre might make a Wright addition more complicated.

New Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka has made a series of aggressive moves this summer as the team tries to bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 season. They added a top-pair defenceman, Darren Raddysh, and landed the top prospect in the draft, taking Gavin McKenna first overall.

While John Tavares remains effective, he is in his late 30s, prompting the Leafs to seek long-term stability at centre. Wright could be the answer.

Senators forward Xavier Bourgault has avoided arbitration, inking a one-year, two-way deal with the team. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the contract comes with an NHL salary of $850,000 and an AHL salary of $265,000.

Bourgault, originally a No. 22 overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers, made significant progress in the AHL this past season. After putting up 26 points in 61 games played with Belleville in 2024-25, he jumped up to 25 goals and 32 assists for 57 points in 70 regular-season games. He also made his NHL debut this season, appearing in two regular-season games with the Senators.

Despite making the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, it’s been a tumultuous offseason in Ottawa. The team traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for a large package of draft picks. General manager Steve Staios then flipped some of those picks to acquire William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks.

The Senators also signed Jordan Spence to a long-term extension and brought back veteran Claude Giroux as the young Senators try to take another step forward towards contention.

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