The Ducks have been one of the pleasant surprises through the first month and a bit of the season. After coming up well short of a playoff spot for the past several years, they enter play tonight sitting atop the Pacific Division.
A big reason for that has been the play of center Leo Carlsson. The third-year player is among the NHL’s top scorers in the early going, recording 11 goals and 15 assists through Anaheim’s first 16 games; his 26 points are tied for the second-most in the league.
The timing for that offensive breakout is certainly ideal for Carlsson. He’s slated to become a restricted free agent next summer and this type of production will only be sending the price tag upward. But it doesn’t appear as if the Ducks or Carlsson are in any rush to start substantive discussions on a new deal, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Instead, both sides appear content to push things until at least the second half of the season.
The 20-year-old was the second overall pick in 2023 and made the jump right away to the NHL although his minutes were managed in his rookie year. As a result, he played in just 55 games, picking up 12 goals and 17 assists. Last season, he was more productive, tallying 20 goals and 25 helpers in 76 games. Still, few could have expected this type of offensive jump in the early going.
It’s the size of that jump that makes waiting a prudent move for both sides. While there’s a natural inclination to think that the eight-year, $80MM extension Utah recently gave Logan Cooley could stand as a reasonable comparison, the Mammoth’s middleman was a lot more productive in his first two seasons, notching 44 and 65 points respectively. On the other hand, Carlsson’s breakout this season vastly surpasses Cooley’s strong start as he’s doubling him up in points in the early going. How sustainable this hot start is will go a long way in determining if Carlsson comes in below this price tag or if he has a shot at surpassing it.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek is typically hesitant to hand out long-term contracts to players coming off entry-level contracts and has taken several negotiations deep into the offseason. Fellow center Mason McTavish is the most recent example of that as it took until late September for him to sign his six-year, $42MM deal. If those trends continue, it might not matter all that much how significant talks get in the coming months between the Ducks and Carlsson; it could very well be another long-term discussion.
Fortunately for Anaheim, their cap situation won’t play any role in discussions as they have more than $40MM in cap space for next season, per PuckPedia, meaning all options in terms of the length of a deal should be on the table. But for now, both sides are happy with waiting things out.