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NHL rumors: The Ducks’ ‘odd man out’ after Leo Carlsson offer sheet
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- NHL rumors: The Ducks’ ‘odd man out’ after Leo Carlsson offer sheet
NHL rumors: The Ducks' 'odd man out' after Leo Carlsson offer sheet appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Anaheim Ducks are in the midst of what promises to be a tumultuous summer after star forward Leo Carlsson signed a mammoth offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers last week.
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Ducks GM Pat Verbeek and the front office now must decide whether to pay $90 million to the Swede over the next five years, or allow him to be poached by the Flyers.
Simultaneously, the club must find money for fellow restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier , who has no contract for 2026-27 after scoring 41 goals and 69 points this season.
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The team is going to be forced to do some cap gymnastics, and one casualty in that exercise could be veteran forward Frank Vatrano , as reported by The Fourth Period.
"Given Anaheim's cap gymnastics they are practicing as a result of Leo Carlsson 's offer sheet with Philadelphia, the early word is the Ducks are seeing how they are create more cap space for other moves/signings and Vatrano may be the odd man out," wrote TFP's David Pagnotta on Sunday, while adding Vatrano to his 2026 Summer Trade Watch List.
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Vatrano owns a seven-team no-trade list and has two years left on his current contract. He has frequently been considered a trade candidate, although nothing has materialized as of yet.
With Pavel Mintyukov now re-signed at a hefty $7.2 million per season — after rumblings there was a team planning to offer sheet him — the Ducks could potentially be paying he and Carlsson over $25 million combined.
The 2026-27 Ducks are already going to look vastly different, with John Carlson , Jacob Trouba , Olen Zellweger and former captain Radko Gudas no longer part of the equation. That's after Mason McTavish was traded to the St. Louis Blues ahead of free agency.
It seems that Vatrano's $4.57 million cap hit would be better allocated elsewhere, although it won't be easy to move him after a tough season in California. The 32-year-old chipped in just nine points in 50 games in 2025-26, and was healthy scratched throughout the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Regardless of the solution, the Ducks have a couple of difficult decisions to make in the short-term, starting with Carlsson but also likely regarding the future of Vatrano at some point this offseason.
Related: Ducks lock up Pavel Mintyukov with new contract with offer sheet looming
Related: NHL rumors: Ducks facing yet another offer sheet dilemma after Flyers' Leo Carlsson bombshell
