The Anaheim Ducks have until July 10th to decide whether to match the Flyers’ historic $90 million offer sheet on Leo Carlsson. And while we wait โ we’re doing the video every Flyers fan has been daydreaming about all week.
What does this team actually look like if Carlsson becomes a Flyer? Line by line. Power play unit by power play unit. Cap number by cap number. We’re building the full blueprint right here.
๐ด Who Is Leo Carlsson โ Quick Scouting Breakdown
21 years old. 6-foot-3. 29 goals, 67 points, 11 playoff points in his breakout season. A player whose skating went from a perceived weakness to his biggest strength. Comparisons to Joe Thornton, Anze Kopitar, and Aleksander Barkov. A 30-goal, 80-point season already within reach for 2026-27. We break down exactly what kind of center is potentially coming to Philadelphia.
๐ด The Cap Reality โ Can the Flyers Make This Work?
Carlsson’s $18 million cap hit leaves the Flyers with $11.5 million to sign Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale โ both of whom just filed for salary arbitration. Drysdale is projected at around $6.25 million. Zegras in the $7-9 million range. Something has to give. We break down exactly what moves need to happen โ including whether Owen Tippett gets traded and whether Rasmus Ristolainen finally gets moved โ and why the rising salary cap makes this increasingly manageable over the life of the deal.
๐ด Building the Forward Lines โ All Four
Line one: Leo Carlsson centering Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster. Line two: Trevor Zegras with Porter Martone beside him. Line three: Christian Dvorak with Matvei Michkov. Line four: Sean Couturier anchoring with Noel Acciari. We explain the logic behind every placement โ including why Michkov on line three is a temporary situation, not a long-term philosophy.
๐ด The Power Play โ Where Carlsson Transforms Everything
This is where it gets truly terrifying. Carlsson quarterbacking a unit with Michkov, Konecny, Martone, and a puck-moving defenseman at the point? We break down both power play units and explain why the Flyers go from one of the worst man advantages in the league to potentially a top-five unit overnight.
๐ด The Defense, Goaltending & The Big Picture
Sanheim and York on the top pair. Drysdale and Benoit on the second. Vladar locked up in net for five years. And a team that โ in the weakest Metropolitan Division in years โ isn’t just making the playoffs anymore. They’re competing for the division title.
The deadline is July 10th. This is the blueprint.
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๐ฌ Drop your Carlsson lineup in the comments โ where do you put him?
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Itโs like a wet dream. But until itโs over, itโs not real.
What is Jackโs opinion?
i dont like having barkey off the lineup, i dont think bump is better than he is.. also they have to dump someones contract so someone has to go
I doubt they will get Carlsson, but all these young 20-22 year old players need to learn and develop more. We still don't know exactly what we have in Martone and Bump and Michkov. The lineup you present is exciting, but still a few years away. I would hope that Michkov does so well that he will force the coaching staff to move him up on the second or first line. We deserve some wonderful things like that happening!
Letโs go flyers!!!
My guess is the arbitration awards based on "the new NHL" aka fucking rediculous contracts means the arbitration awards are likely going to be around $20 mill aav. You bid up the contacts and it effects the comparisons the arbitrator will use to give the award. This is a self inflicted wound by Philly's management. I hope the ducks take the 4 first round picks, it will be a big win for them and will throw a fuck into the Flyers for at least 5 years. I expect they will be dumping some players right after they get the arb awards. They may even walk away from the arbitration awards of one or both of the players that went to arbitration. New contracts will be a nightmare for the Flyers as they will be up against the cap and will not be able to sign the young stars they have now. Should be fun to see how this insanity plays out. The Flyers had a winning cap structure (see their recent success) and now they threw that all away to be irrelevant. Watch and see. This ends very badly if the Ducks don't match. Who ever pays this contract is basically destroying their team for a minimum of 5 years and most likely 8 years. They will instantly go into a rebuild, but won't know it for a couple of years.
I don't deal in suppostion. It's an exercise in futility to do so.
Yea Jim still got Michkov there on that third line. We get him a center and youโve got him still on that third line what a joke. And youโre right ๐
Not going to happen. Too good to be true.
What mitchkov have you been watching?
Tippet Carlson Michkov
Foerster Zegras Martone
Dvorak Couturier Konecny
Barkey Cates Acciari
Sanheim Drysdale
York Bonk
Benoit Jiricek
Vladar
Woll
Trade Risto, Seeler, for picks to make cap work with Ziggy and Drysdale.
Edited, pasted wrong names in2 spots lol
Good work on this I'm optimistic here
James, your cap numbers do not match what Charlie O'Connor has in his article on PHLY – He has them at around ~$15M after the Carlsson signing – With Zegras at $9M, Drysdale at $6M, and Grebenkin at $1M, he has them over the cap by $1.24M – Can you recheck your numbers?
The ducks will also get more breathing room with the cap increases. And, the ducks can also move a couple contracts to make room for him and also Gauthier.
Do you think they would trade Couturier or possibly restructure his contract beings heโs at $7.5 m?
love the song
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Aneheim would be nuts to match the offer.
Desperate move by the flyers. Desperate moves donโt lead to a winner.
LESS than 48 Hrs. to go until we all find out if Anaheim Matches the Flyers Offer. Should be Interesting to see this play out.
A quick google would tell you why this isnโt even close to happening. The ducks owner has the highest net worth in the entire league (worth 30 Billion) The money isnโt the problem, their going to match but theyโre also waiting the 7 days so the Flyers canโt do anything else before they match.
Who is shifting to wing on that 4th line?? Coots or Acciari ??
Foerster-Carlsson-Konecky
Bump-Zegras-Martone
Barkey-Dvorak-Michkov
Grundstrom-Acciari-Couturier
*Grebenkin
Sanheim-Drysdale
York-Jiricek
Seeler-Bonk
*Benoit
Trade Cates, Tippett, and Risto
Cutter is probably going for 12.5 a year ducks are screwed
I trade tipp and risto to ducks for 1st , 2nd and 4rth