Insider Reveals John Carlson's Monster Asking Price, Names 3 Landing Spots
One of the top defensemen on the free agent market come July 1st will be 36-year-old, 17-year veteran John Carlson. But don't let his age fool you, Carlson is still a highly-sought-after talent on the blueline, able to carry a power play and add leadership with a Stanley Cup pedigree. He will be looking at a huge payday, even at his advanced age, according to insider Frank Seravalli. He revealed the D-man's likely monster asking price.
John Carlson's gonna get paid. I can tell you right now, from the teams that I've talked to... The teams that are gonna be in the mix, are teams that wanna win, have a chance to win, and can pay. My ballpark for John Carlson at age 36 is something like 3 (years) times $9.5 million. It might end up being $9M, it might end up being $10M, but I think John Carlson is getting a raise. He was that good in Anaheim.
For context, Carlson is projected by AFP Analytics to be able to command a three-year deal at just over $7 million annually. But Servalli figures he'll blow past that. He's coming off an eight-year, $8 million AAV deal.
"That's one of the stories of this off-season, is how much John Carlson is going to make in AAV. It's probably going to blow some people's minds."
The insider also names his three landing spots that he could see as being ready and willing to pay up.
- Anaheim Ducks
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Chicago Blackhawks
Seravalli feels that the Ducks are interested in making an offer, but will have to pay full price to get him.
As for the Flyers, Carlson is from the Northeast, not far from Philly, and played his teenage hockey in nearby New Jersey.
Then he threw another intriguing possibility at us.
Could the Blackhawks pay to bring in John Carlson to be a mentor for their young blueline?
"What about the Chicago Blackhawks? They need someone that can effectively quarterback their power-play, and they need a true Leader on that back end. The only complication I see is in terms of some of the right shot guys they have already (on the blueline)... I think he'd provide a huge steadying influence for a team that's on the rise."
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