Leo Carlsson will surely be underpaid, according to Brady Tkachuk

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Leo Carlsson will surely be underpaid, according to Brady Tkachuk
Credit: YouTube

Leo Carlsson will stay in Anaheim after all.

Yesterday, the Ducks confirmed that they had done what they'd been saying they would do in recent weeks: match a hostile offer made for Leo Carlsson, the team's best player.

It took six days to announce the decision. Not seven—just to keep the Flyers waiting—but six. That leads me to believe the decision was a difficult one to make.

At $18 million a year (with most of the contract years being restricted free agency years), this changes the landscape of the NHL. The Ducks, for example, now face a problem signing Cutter Gauthier.

As for the Flyers, they might have a hard time signing Jamie Drysdale. After all, the player has seen that his team was willing to spend and has seen that prices have gone up.

Obviously, the players aren't going to complain about rising prices. They've seen Carlsson shatter the old salary scale, and everyone stands to benefit.

That's why I'm not surprised to hear the Tkachuk brothers say on their podcast that the Ducks player isn't overpaid. Brady even added that at $18 million, the Ducks center might actually be underpaid.

Me too—if I were two years away from becoming a free agent, I'd say that the highest-paid player in the league, who hasn't accomplished as much as I have, deserves every penny of his contract. It just makes sense.

Most players in Brady Tkachuk's position would say the same thing.

Several talented young players are currently negotiating new contracts—or can do so as early as this summer, a year ahead of schedule. Carlsson's impact will clearly be felt.

We'll see which domino falls first.


In a nutshell

– Oops.

– Phillip Danault doesn't want to leave Montreal. [TVAS]

– Interesting.

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