Colby Guy
Before the Florida Panthers acquired Ben Chiarot and Robert Hagg at the trade deadline, Lucas Carlsson provided some much-needed stability on their bottom defensive pairing.
While Chiarot and Hagg hit unrestricted free agency following the Panthers’ all-in run for the Stanley Cup falling short, Carlsson will be a restricted free agent.
With the Panthers only having $3 million in cap space, bringing back one or both of the two UFA defensemen would be a tough task.
And, with only five NHL defensemen under contract, Carlsson could very well find himself back in among the Florida top six.
Starting the season in the AHL, Carlsson put up six points in eight games before earning the call-up to the big squad on Nov. 7.
The Panthers were hard-pressed to take him out of the lineup from that point forward.
He debuted during Florida’s first trip to New Jersey on Nov. 9 in place of Kevin Connauton and finished the road trip with his first assist of the season in Tampa Bay.
Carlsson became a staple in the Panthers’ lineup, later scoring his first NHL goal and aiding a comeback against the Sabres on Dec. 2.
Meanwhile, Connauton only played four more games in Sunrise before he was waived and claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 7.
At that point, the spot on Florida’s bottom pairing was Carlsson’s to lose.
“I think he’s come in and gotten his feet wet,” Andrew Brunette said after the Sabres game. “He’s been kind of in and out a little bit and he’s kind of taken the ball and he’s not letting go.
“He’s doing a little bit of everything for us, I think offensively tonight, he was around. Even last game he was being dangerous and he’s got a heavy shot and I’m extremely happy that he’s kind of found his game here.”
Carlsson became reliable for the Panthers at points, finishing the season with nine points in 40 games.
At points, he split reps with Olli Juolevi before he was eventually claimed by the Detroit Red Wings in March, but it was clear that Carlsson was the best option Florida had.
His biggest moment came in February, when he slid behind Sergei Bobrovsky to stop a puck that went behind him, then made a stick save of his own to keep the Panthers within a goal in a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
“It was an unbelievable save, it was Bob-like,” Brunette said. “It was a huge play at the time.”
While he was providing stability on that bottom pairing, Panthers GM Bill Zito was always looking for areas to improve.
He first signed Petteri Lindbohm fresh off winning Gold with Finland in the Olympics and later brought in Chiarot to shore up their blue line come playoff time.
After Aaron Ekblad suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out for the rest of the regular season, the Panthers traded for Hagg to add more depth to the lineup.
Carlsson only played in five regular season games once the veteran newcomers made their debuts and did not get a shot in the lineup come playoff time.
Of course, Hagg and Lindbohm did not either after Aaron Ekblad returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the postseason.
With the Panthers’ season now over, Hagg, Chiarot and Lindbohm are all unrestricted free agents.
Carlsson’s remains still under team control as he heads into restricted free agency.
Chiarot may likely be gone, as the Panthers do not have the cap space to afford him and he will likely see a bigger payday elsewhere after having a track record of being a reliable piece for a playoff team.
That leaves Hagg and Lindbohm as possible contenders to come back for a reasonable price to take that final spot.
Carlsson proved to be more reliable than Lindbohm in the time they were sharing that bottom-pairing role since his arrival on Feb. 28, playing a much sounder game defensively while providing a solid puck-moving piece.
Lindbohm provided a physical edge, but he made many mistakes in the defensive zone which prompted Zito to bring in Hagg.
The 27-year-old defenseman acquired by way of Buffalo played in 16 games since his arrival to Florida and was quietly a very sound two-way defenseman.
While having just one assist as a Panther, Hagg moved the puck well and made smart decisions on both ends of the ice.
Whether or not he will garner enough interest to be priced out of the Panthers’ plans remains to be seen.
Carlsson, meanwhile, is a piece Florida can bring back for a cheaper price, given the team control, and get that same reliable contribution they got from him in 2021-22.
He showed that he was not afraid of competition and strives under that pressure, so he could very well factor into Florida’s plans going forward.
Even with young defensemen like Matt Kiersted, John Ludvig and possibly Chase Priskie (if the Group 6 UFA decides to return) waiting in the wings, he will not let it deter him.
“Competition is good, it keeps you sharp,” Carlsson said after scoring in the Panthers’ 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“It has been fun and I just hope I can still be in the lineup.”
Florida Panthers Roll Call is a recurring feature at Florida Hockey Now leading into the start of trade and free-agent season.
The NHL Draft begins July 7 in Montreal; the opening of free agency is July 13.