Flyers Offered John Carlson More Money Than Tampa Bay
Per Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, the Flyers offered John Carlson more money than the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team he ultimately signed with on July 1.
"FWIW, I'm told the Flyers did offer more money for John Carlson," Di Marco reported. "He ultimately had his sights set on Tampa Bay."
Di Marco added that while he could not say for certain, he believed Philadelphia's offer was in the $10 million to $11 million range annually, and was confident it was at least $10 million per season.
The Deal He Took Instead
Carlson signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay worth $17 million total, carrying an $8.5 million average annual value.
That means the 36-year-old defenseman left at least $1.5 million per season on the table, and potentially more, to sign with the Lightning.
FWIW, I'm told the #Flyers did offer more money for John Carlson.
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) July 2, 2026
He ultimately had his sights set on Tampa Bay.@DailyFaceoff
Carlson made his desire to return to the Eastern United States clear as free agency approached, and Tampa Bay offered a strong contender fresh off years of success rather than a team stuck somewhere in the middle.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes had also pushed hard, acquiring Carlson's rights at the draft before failing to reach an agreement, but Carlson's preference for the Lightning ultimately won out.
What It Means for Philadelphia
Philadelphia continues to search for help on the back end and clearly viewed Carlson as a target worth a significant financial commitment despite his age.
I think it was in the $10-11M AAV range but I can't say for certain.
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) July 2, 2026
Confident that it was at least $10M per, though. https://t.co/MKMgzdkcHd
For now, Philadelphia misses out, and the money that would have gone to Carlson remains available for Briere to deploy elsewhere as free agency continues.
