The Anaheim Ducks are making one thing clear about Leo Carlsson: they’re not planning to let him go anywhere.
Elliotte Friedman reported that Anaheim would match any offer sheet for Carlsson, and that stance is part of why the Ducks have been quiet on the transaction front. The idea, according to Friedman, is to keep their cap situation in good shape so they’re prepared if an offer sheet ever comes their way.
In Tampa Bay, general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t exactly close the door on more moves, but he did make it sound like the Lightning already feel better after their latest addition. Asked if they were done, BriseBois said, “We’ve added a player that’s probably gonna play about 20 minutes a night for us…really reliable.
We’re better than we were yesterday when we last spoke. If there’s another opportunity for us to be even better, we’ll capitalize on it if we can.”
The Edmonton Oilers may still have one more significant move in mind, and it sounds like it would be up front. Daily Faceoff’s Tom Gazzola said he believes Edmonton is still looking for a top-six forward.
Tyler Yaremchuk asked Gazzola, “What do you think Stan Bowman still wants to do here before he heads off to the cottage?”
Gazzola’s answer pointed straight to the top of the lineup: “I think they probably still want a top-six forward. You know, they have a lot of depth guys, let’s call them, and there’s a lot of veteran players on this roster.
And good teams, contenders, have good NHL players from top to bottom. Not guys that are tweeners trying to prove themselves.
And we’ve seen in the past here in Edmonton, I think Peter Chiarelli was guilty of doing it, leaning too much in 2017 on Jujhar Khaira, Matt Benning, and Drake Caggiula, and those guys weren’t ready. And the Oilers went from a team on the cusp of making the Conference Final.
Getting rid of, you know, remember they got rid of (Jordan) Eberle, people look at that, go, that wasn’t great. And they got rid of Patty Maroon and a bunch of veterans.
But those are NHL guys, and here I look at this roster and there’s a lot of depth and solid careers of proven NHL players, so that’s important.
But yeah, if they’re going to add something, they probably want another guy that could play in the top-six and not just put like a placeholder in there or somebody trying to find his game at the NHL level. Ie. Ike Howard.”
In Other News...
Lightning Just Reshaped The Roster With One Stunning Day Of Moves
Julien BriseBois spent the day making it clear the Lightning are trying to thread a familiar needle: get better now without boxing themselves in later. Tampa Bay added defenseman John Carlson on a two-year deal, then brought in forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Jeffrey Viel to help fill specific roster needs, a flurry that fits the general managers broader point about the market picking up league-wide and the need to stay aggressive when opportunities open.
The bigger picture for Tampa Bay is that this was never going to be a one-move summer, and the work is still not done. BriseBois also said contract extension talks with Nikita Kucherov remain ongoing, a reminder that even after a day of major roster reshaping, the Lightning are still managing the most important part of their future while trying to keep the present competitive. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Guerin Just Put Wild Fans In A Familiar Trade Bind
The Lightnings goaltending picture has started to shift again, with Dennis Hildeby coming in to handle the backup role while the club works to find a landing spot for Jonas Johansson. It is the kind of move that usually signals more roster sorting ahead, especially for a team still trying to balance immediate needs with the realities of the trade market.
Julien BriseBois also said the defense remains a point of discussion, though the current group gives Tampa Bay some flexibility for now. The Lightning like the seven defensemen they have in house, and while trade chatter tends to create the sense that a right-handed addition could be coming, that kind of move may not happen quickly as the front office keeps weighing its options. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Finally Landed The Blue-Line Addition Fans Were Waiting For
The Lightning finally addressed one of the most obvious needs on their blue line by bringing in John Carlson, a veteran defenseman with a long track record of handling big minutes and tough assignments. Carlson arrives with more than 1,100 NHL games on his resume, most of them with Washington, along with the kind of pedigree that comes from being a Stanley Cup champion and a player who has stacked up league honors over the years.
For Tampa Bay, the appeal is as much about stability as it is about name value. Carlson was the top defenseman still available when the Lightning moved, and the club waited until later in the day before landing him, giving the roster a proven option to help anchor the back end. The fit makes sense on paper, even if the bigger question now is how quickly he settles into the group and what the Lightning can squeeze from him right away. [Read more 🡒]