The email arrived as the clock struck midnight and as the end of the July 1 free agency frenzy turned into a new day, one that many teams hope signals the dawn of a new era.
It may not be that dramatic for general manager Julien BriseBois and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have averaged 101 points the past four seasons and are coming off a 50-win campaign. Alas, the Bolts expired in the first round of the playoff derby each year, an empty-feeling stretch following a memorable run to three straight final rounds and a pair of Cups.
Indeed, work needed to be done and as Wednesday melted into Thursday it was known that John Carlson was on his way to 401 Channelside Drive. The signing (two years, $8.5 million per) of the 36-year-old defenseman followed agreeing to terms with a pair of forwards earlier in the day: 31-year-old Ilya Mikheyev (four years, $3.85 AAV) and 29-year-old Jeffrey Viel (five years, $2.5 AAV).
BriseBois also dealt forward Nick Paul to Toronto for 24-year-old goaltender Dennis Hildeby and draft picks each of the next two years. While battling the injury bug last season and recording a minus-15 in 51 games, it was evident Paul’s role was decreasing. The Mississauga, Ont. native heads home after playing all or part of the last five seasons with the Lightning.
Hildeby will suit up behind future hall of famer Andrei Vasilevskiy, who turns 32 on July 25. Hildeby, who was 2.86/.912 in 20 games with the Leafs last season, will take over for fellow Swede Jonas Johansson. He has a cap hit of $841,000 and two years remaining on his current deal. Johansson, who BriseBois is attempting to find a trade partner for, signed with Tampa Bay when the signing window opened three summers ago.
With two signings and one trade announced within less than hour late afternoon Wednesday, BriseBois seemed rather satisfied with what had taken place to that point and how those moves could set up something else as the day progressed (Carlson) and beyond.
“The idea was to not make commitments that would prevent us from taking advantage of bigger opportunities that would move the needle even more in terms of improving odds of winning that might present themselves in the future,” said BriseBois, who did not retain the services of defenseman Declan Carlisle (signed by Penguins) and forwards Corey Perry (Kings) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (Rangers). “I think we did that with what we’ve done so far. Those contracts, I think, in the new NHL are going to age very well.”
John Carlson and a new-look blue line
John Carlson has aged very well. He is a major piece of a new look that seemed inevitable for the Tampa Bay defense corps. Darren Raddysh, the Lightning’s Masterton nominee as a result of what truly is a story of perseverance and dedication even well before he exploded into a formidable scorer (22-48-70, 10 PPG) in his third full NHL season, was shipped to his hometown Maple Leafs on June 19 – and signed for eight years/$68 million – in an unsurprising move given all signs were leading to Tampa Bay not being able to retain his services.
Carlson arrives after compiling 60 points in 71 games with Washington and Anaheim last season. The Capitals’ first-round selection (No. 27) in 2008 played each of his first 1,143 NHL games with Washington prior to being sent to the Ducks at the trade deadline. He helped his new team make the playoff cut for the first time in eight years.
The Massachusetts native debuted in 2009-10 and played 22 games on Bruce Boudreau’s President’s Trophy-winning team that included fellow rear guards such as Mike Green, Tom Poti and Jeff Schultz. Seventeen years later he is grateful for the opportunity to join the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I know the pedigree of the organization and certainly the players, from guys that have been through there behind the scenes and all that,” he said during a media call Thursday. “Also, obviously playing against them for so many years and seeing just what’s on display every night has been fun to watch and not play against. From that standpoint, it was a slam dunk.”
Carlson, whose rights Anaheim traded to Carolina four days before the free agent signing period commenced, joins a defense corps that includes Victor Hedman, who is one year younger and has played five more career regular season games. Hedman’s 1,164 games are fourth among active defensemen and Carlson’s 1,159 are sixth.
Injuries and mental health concerns resulting in a leave of absence limited Hedman to 33 games last season; he last took the ice March 19. The hope, of course, is he rebounds on a personal level — Hedman noted after the Lightning’s season came to an end that he was ready for a summer of workouts – and can continue with his world-class career and be part of a unit that includes a couple of guys that blossomed last season.
J.J. Moser, who developed into a fan and media favorite, was a career-best plus-41 to tie for fourth among league defensemen and chipped in seven goals while averaging 21:34 TOI. Charle-Edouard D’Astous signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent last May following three seasons in multiple European leagues. He proceeded to provide an edge (112 PIM) while scoring six goals and averaging 18:45 per game in an impressive NHL debut season.
Summer far from over?
With a little more than $3 million of cap space to work with, BriseBois has room to make more things happen. With respect to potential moves the remainder of the summer, well, there is plenty of time to make the cap space work.
“Even once that cap space is committed, you’re always looking at, is that the best use of our cap space? Are there options out there to maybe swap things out for a better use of that cap space?” he said several hours before the Carlson deal was announced. “So, I would say everything is on the table right now.”
The table has supported a number of moving parts to this point, and it would surprise absolutely no one if more followed.
What about extending Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov? There does not appear to be a sense of urgency to get something done by a certain date.
“I’ll reiterate that we would like Nikita to stay here, he would like to stay here,” said the GM on Wednesday.