The Anaheim Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers’ offer sheet tendered to Leo Carlsson on Thursday, with the plan to sign the forward to a five-year, $90 million contract.

The deal has an average annual value of $18 million, the richest in NHL history.

Carlsson, 21, officially will be the league’s highest-paid player per season, $1 million above Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov. Carlsson finished up his entry-level contract that paid him $950,000 annually.

“It was an offer that 99% of people would sign, too. It’s a pretty simple answer,” he said. “I really wanted to be here though. I really wanted them to match. I want to be an Anaheim Duck.”

Anaheim cannot trade Carlsson for at least one year. He will be an unrestricted free agent when his contract expires in 2031.

“We are very happy to have Leo under contract for five years,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. “We have viewed Leo as a franchise player since the moment we met him prior to the 2023 draft. He’s a character person on and off the ice. Leo is viewed as a top player in this league, and it was always our intention to match any offer sheet.”

Anaheim announced the decision Thursday, one day ahead of the deadline. If the Ducks opted against matching the contract, they would have received four first-round draft picks from the Flyers as compensation.

“Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement. “We have extremely high expectations for Leo. We firmly believe he will continue his strong growth trajectory and become one of the truly elite centers in the league, while continuing to make a strong impact in our community.”

Carlsson recorded career highs in goals (29), assists (38) and points (67) in 70 games last season.

He has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 career games since being selected by the Ducks with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media