The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed unrestricted free agent defenceman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract that carries a cap hit of $8.5 million, the team announced Wednesday.
Carlson, 36, finished last season with the Anaheim Ducks after being acquired from the Washington Capitals for two draft picks at the trade deadline.
He had 14 goals and 60 points in 71 games split between the Capitals and Ducks last season while averaging 23:10 of ice time.
Carlson added six assists in 12 playoff games while averaging 24:03 of ice time as the Ducks were eliminated in the second round in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
His signing rights was acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes on June 27 in exchange for defenceman Kyle Masters and a draft pick but the veteran blueliner elected not to sign with the Hurricanes.
The 6-foot-3, right-shot defenceman is coming off an eight-year, $64 million contract that carried a cap hit of $8 million.
Drafted 27th overall by the Capitals in 2008, Carlson has 170 goals and 785 points in 1,159 career games split between the Capitals and Ducks.
Carlson helped the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in 2018, recording five goals and 20 points in 24 playoff games.
The Natick, Mass., native represented the United States at The Winter Olympics in 2014 in a fourth-place finish. He also represented his country at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in a seventh-place finish.
