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NHL rumors: Flyers linked to Blue Jackets RFA as potential Leo Carlsson backup
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- NHL rumors: Flyers linked to Blue Jackets RFA as potential Leo Carlsson backup
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NHL rumors: Flyers linked to Blue Jackets RFA as potential Leo Carlsson backup appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The NHL world was shaken by the news of the massive offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, which if unmatched, would make him the highest-paid player per season in NHL history with an $18 million salary cap hit.
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It would eclipse the current salary cap hit of $17 million a season currently about to be made by Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov .
Meanwhile, there remains a chance the Ducks will match the Flyers' offer sheet, forcing general manager Daniel Briere to explore other options. According to Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline, one player who could draw interest is forward Adam Fantilli , a restricted free agent who is also eligible to receive an offer sheet from opposing teams.
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"The Blue Jackets, of course, have their own 21-year-old restricted free agent, Adam Fantilli , who remains unsigned and vulnerable to an offer sheet," Portzline wrote, via The Athletic. "The Blue Jackets are continuing to talk with Fantilli and are hopeful of getting a deal struck before another club steps into the fray, like the Flyers did with Carlsson. If the Flyers are blocked by the Ducks, who's to say they won't turn their sights toward Fantilli?"
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According to Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell, they're in a position to match any offer sheet that comes their way.
"If an offer sheet comes along, we're in a situation where we've got lots of cap space," Waddell said. "If it happened, we're able to match anything. I don't expect it, but you never know in this business."
Fantilli, taken with the third overall pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, has 67 goals with 73 assists in 213 career NHL games so far.
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