John Carlson is going to Tampa. Not bad for a guy who spent the first 16 seasons in Washington, won a Cup there, got traded to Anaheim for a first-round pick at the deadline, and then watched two different teams fail to sign him before the Lightning swooped in with a two-year, $17 million deal. The defending Eastern Conference champs needed a top-pair defenseman and they got one of the better power-play quarterbacks in the league, even if the $8.5 million annual cap hit raises an eyebrow or two.
The Hurricanes traded for Carlson’s negotiating rights from the Ducks, giving up a sixth-round pick and a prospect. They couldn’t get a deal done. Neither could Carolina, the team that just won the Stanley Cup. So the Lightning stepped in right as NHL free agency opened and locked him up. That whole chain of events tells you something about how the market valued a 36-year-old offensive defenseman whose game has always been tied to playing with Alex Ovechkin. Still, Tampa saw an opening and took it.
Why the Lightning made this move now
Victor Hedman missed most of last season and all of the playoffs on a personal leave of absence. That forced the Lightning to lean on Darren Raddysh as their primary power-play defenseman, and Raddysh played well enough to become the top free-agent defenseman on the market. He signed with Toronto for $68 million. Tampa needed a replacement and Carlson, even at his age, is a proven power-play quarterback. The salary is high but the term is only two years. The Lightning didn’t panic when Carolina traded for his rights. They waited, let the situation develop, and ended up with a cheaper deal in a state with no income tax. Reports had Carlson looking for $20 million total. He got $17 million. That’s a win for management.
Carlson’s side apparently waited to see what happened with Zach Werenski, the Columbus defenseman who was reportedly available. The Blue Jackets were shopping him. Werenski nixed a trade to Dallas. Then Columbus announced he wouldn’t be traded at all. Once that domino fell, Carlson signed with Tampa. If the Lightning had traded for Werenski, they wouldn’t have needed Carlson. Other teams were probably waiting on Werenski too, including Toronto. Carlson couldn’t get the $20 million he wanted but maybe that doesn’t matter for a guy staring at the end of a Hall-of-Fame career. He gets a chance to win another Stanley Cup in each of the next two seasons and he gets to do it somewhere warm. Players who go to Tampa tend to be happy.
The Lightning get an A-minus. Carlson gets an A-minus too. The contract isn’t exactly what he wanted but the landing spot could not be any better. Can he finish his career with another ring in Tampa? Or will his best moments stay in Washington with that 2018 Cup run? Those questions will play out over the next two years. For now, Tampa got their man and Carolina is left wondering what happened.
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