The Tampa Bay Lightning have made a huge splash in free agency as the team has signed defenseman John Carlson to a new contract.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported late on Wednesday night, the first day of NHL free agency, that Carlson is headed to Tampa Bay on a two-year deal for $17 million, paying him $8.5 million per season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Add Stud Defender John Carlson
With this move, the Lightning added a stud defender who previously won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals and who has been a First-Team All-Star before in his NHL career, not to mention a perennial Norris Trophy finalist.
The 36-year-old Massachusetts native was drafted by the Capitals with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first 16.5 seasons of his NHL career in Washington before being sent to the Anaheim Ducks at this year’s trade deadline for a first-round pick.
In 1,159 career regular-season games, Carlson has scored 170 goals and 785 points, and he is known for being one of the top offensive defensemen in the league.
He had 14 points and 60 points in 71 games this year, split between Washington and Anaheim.
Plus, he has a ton of playoff experience in Washington, which will come in handy now that he’s on the Tampa Bay blueline, where he will likely be paired up with captain Victor Hedman.
This is a fantastic move by the Lightning, as it shores up their defense with one of the best defensemen in the league, and they didn’t have to break the bank to do it.
Since Carlson was an unrestricted free agent, the Lightning did not have to give up any assets for him, either. They only had to pay him money, but even with his $8.5 million cap hit, Tampa Bay still has $3 million in cap space to play with.
Tampa Bay Lightning Replace the Outgoing Darren Raddysh
By signing Carlson, the Lightning have replaced Darren Raddysh as one of their top-four defenseman for next season after Raddysh signed a huge contract with the Maple Leafs as part of a sign-and-trade deal that the two teams executed ahead of free agency opening up.
Although Carlson is much older than Raddysh, he is still playing at a very high level, and he will fit in nicely in Tampa Bay, where he won’t have to be the team’s No. 1 defenseman, as Hedman has that role filled.
It’s a great move for Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, who was able to replace Raddysh for the same amount of money per season, only signing him for two seasons instead of the eight seasons that Raddysh got in Toronto.
Overall, things seem to have worked out well for all parties here as far as the Lightning, Maple Leafs, Carlson, and Raddysh are concerned, though the Carolina Hurricanes are the biggest losers in this, as they gave up a draft pick to talk to Carlson before free agency opened up, only to see him sign with another Eastern Conference contender, the Lightning, instead.
Lightning Sign Stanley Cup Winning Defenseman