Calgary Flames: Five Pairing Options for T.J. Brodie

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Apr 21, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) celebrates with Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period in game five of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2. John Carlson

Like I mentioned with Shattenkirk and how the Washington Capitals will most likely be looking to make some trades, John Carlson could be on the market and he only has a year left in his contract as well if things don’t work out. But the Caps are looking to make some trades and so are the Calgary Flames.

We had another roundtable discussion about the blue line and I mentioned how an ideal partner that I’d like to see with T.J. Brodie is John Carlson. He has a right-handed shot to play alongside Brodie’s left-handed shot. He is on a $4 million salary right now, but like I said, he only has a year left in his contract. And with how good Treliving is at negotiations, I’m sure he can convince Caps GM Brian MacLellan to retain some of Carlson’s salary.

Like I mentioned in the roundtable article, Carlson is a quality powerplay option and has a hard shot. The only thing of concern for me is that he led the Caps in ice-time per game and even-strength ice-time per game this past season, so being demoted to that second pairing alongside Brodie may not be ideal for the 27 year-old (again, another defenceman in his prime years).

However, I do truly believe that Carlson is a top-two defenceman. Another option is either moving Dougie or Gio to that second pairing alongside Brodie and putting Carlson at that top unit could work. He’s definitely a quality defenceman who I wouldn’t mind seeing on the Calgary Flames roster next season. But that’s only if the Caps are willing to give him up.

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