John Carlson Expected To Sign With Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded Darren Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs in an overnight blockbuster, and that's going to open up a massive hole on the right side of their blueline. Insert free-agent-to-be, John Carlson.
Carlson was shockingly traded to the Anaheim Ducks mid-season last year, after almost two decades as a Washington Capital. The deal caught Carlson off guard in the biggest way, and while he enjoyed his time playing hockey for the Ducks in sunny California, Carlson informed Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek he prefers to play in the Eastern Conference. And after the Raddysh move, all signs are pointing to the Lightning.
Last season split between the Caps and Ducks, Carlson appeared in 55 games for Washington, scoring 10 goals and adding 36 assists, for 46 points. Meanwhile with the Ducks, the right-handed defenceman scored four goals and added 10 assists for 14 points in 16 games. He averaged 24:10 as a Duck, which was up from the 22:51 he was playing for the Capitals.
Raddysh averaged 22:41 with the Lightning last season, including 3:44 on the power play, so Carlson's going to have a heavy workload to replace, and given his track record, should be a perfect replacement for Raddysh, who enjoyed a career season last year with the Bolts.
Carlson to the Lightning? Everything seems to be falling into place for it to happen.
