Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks and Leo Carlsson #91 of the Anaheim Ducks look on before a face-off during the first period on November 30, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) The Anaheim Ducks were looking to sign Leo Carlsson to a long-term extension before the 2025-26 NHL season, but contract negotiations fell apart. Instead of accepting an early offer, Carlsson’s camp decided to hold out for another huge negotiation to play out across the league.That trade involved Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard. However, before Bedard could sign a new deal, the Philadelphia Flyers dramatically altered the landscape with an eight-year, $90 million offer sheet that forced the Ducks to reevaluate their plans.
Leo Carlsson and Anaheim Ducks NHL contract negotiations explained by agents
Leo Carlsson’s agents have paused contract talks to ensure Connor Bedard’s next deal with the Chicago Blackhawks sets the market for elite young NHL centers.Representatives for Carlsson, Matt and Ryan Keator, said the Anaheim Ducks offered the Swede an eight-year, $84 million contract before the 2025-26 season. The deal averages $10.5 million a year and shows the Ducks are committed to building around the 2023 second-overall pick.Rather than negotiating immediately, the Keator brothers informed Ducks management they wanted to wait and see what happened with Bedard’s extension talks.
Connor Bedard was considered the market benchmark
The plan was centered on Connor Bedard because he and Carlsson joined the NHL together as the first and second overall picks in the 2023 NHL Draft.Carlsson’s camp thought Bedard’s eventual extension with the Chicago Blackhawks would set the bar for what an elite, young center should be paid. They believed they could wait and negotiate with more comparable data than Anaheim offered initially.
Philadelphia Flyers changed everything with an offer sheet
Prior to Bedard signing a new contract, the plan was altered. The Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere immediately jacked up Carlsson’s market value by filing an offer sheet for him worth $90 million over eight years. The Anaheim Ducks matched the offer, keeping the 21-year-old center in their system and increasing the total value of his contract by $6 million over what the team initially offered.The sequence illustrated just how quickly NHL contract negotiations can shift when a rival team aggressively pursues a restricted free agent.
Why the negotiations matter across the NHL
Carlsson’s agents have provided an insight into the inner workings of modern NHL negotiations, where comparable players can determine contract values months before a deal is struck.Connor Bedard might not have signed his extension with the Chicago Blackhawks yet, but Carlsson’s negotiations are a case study in how a blockbuster offer can change an entire market. The Anaheim Ducks were forced to match the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer to keep one of their franchise cornerstones, and the rest of the league is waiting to see what happens with Bedard, the next big contract expected to shape future NHL salary trends.