Veteran Blueliner John Carlson Could Be Headed to Tampa Bay on a Short-Term Deal

The NHL rumor mill is heating up, and veteran defenseman John Carlson is right in the middle of it. After making it clear he plans to leave Anaheim this offseason, the 36-year-old is reportedly eyeing a move to the East Coast. And the Tampa Bay Lightning look like the frontrunners.

The Lightning just traded Darren Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, leaving a hole on their blue line. According to The Fourth Period, GM Julien BriseBois is actively shopping for a replacement. He’s looking at both the trade market and free agency, with a decision expected inside the next week or two.

Carlson put up six points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring, all assists, as the Ducks got bounced by the Vegas Golden Knights. But his regular season was stronger. In 71 games split between Washington and Anaheim, he posted 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points — his best total since the 2021-22 campaign.

That kind of production is why Tampa Bay is interested. Carlson won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and brings exactly the kind of veteran savvy a team like the Lightning could use. He’s spent most of his career in D.C., so a move down to Florida would be a shift in scenery, but he’s reportedly open to it.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast summed it up pretty bluntly. “As a matter of fact, most people seem to think they would be surprised if John Carlson doesn’t end up in Tampa. He’s likely to go to the Lightning on a short-term deal for big dollars. But it would be considerably less in terms of overall dollars. Like his AAV might end up even higher, potentially than Raddysh’s, just obviously for the shorter term.”

So a short-term, high-AAV contract seems to be the plan. That fits both sides. Tampa Bay gets a proven defenseman without a long-term cap hit, and Carlson gets a chance to chase another Cup on a team that’s been to the finals twice in the last five years.

It’s not a done deal yet. But the signals are strong enough that you’d be surprised if Carlson ends up anywhere else.