FAQ » ffalo to instead pursue free agency an

John Carlson can’t forget that he is fighting for the NHL lead for points among defensemen because his Washington Capitals teammates keep razzing him about it.”The guys do a good job of pumping that up in the locker room Youth Pavel Zacha Jersey ,” Carlson said.Carlson’s 61 points have him tied with the Dallas Stars’ John Klingberg, and he is a dark horse candidate for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.”John’s having just a whale of a year,” teammate Matt Niskanen said. ”Monster year – production, been carrying the load all year. He’s been a stalwart back there for us.”This breakout season with a career-high 15 goals and 46 assists is coming at a perfect time for Carlson, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer but has been flying under the radar compared to New York Islanders captain John Tavares. Carlson command upward of $7 million per season on a deal that’s almost certain to be eight years if Washington re-signs him or seven if he hits the market July 1.The 28-year-old has outperformed the six-year contract he signed in 2012 that pays him just under $4 million a year. He has shown the ability to be a dominant No. 1 defenseman by averaging 25 minutes a game, running the point on the top power-play unit, killing penalties and drawing the toughest matchups.A 2008 first-round pick of the Capitals, Carlson likes Washington and would like to stay if the fit is there. General manager Brian MacLellan has said he believes each side wants to get a deal done but will wait until after the season to try to make it happen.The big question is whether the Capitals can make it work under the salary cap, which might require trades even though the ceiling is expected to go up to between $78 million and $82 million from $75 million.Carlson might not reach the $7.875 million annual salary of Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, who along with Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings is a Norris front-runner, but he might not be far off. Carlson has more of an offensive punch than San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, whose new deal pays him $7 million a year Authentic Taylor Hall Jersey , and he has almost double the points of the next-highest potential free agent defenseman, former Capitals teammate Mike Green, who’s 32.”He’s always been steady,” Washington goaltender Braden Holtby said of Carlson. ”His role’s expanded, obviously, which shows: time on ice and points and such. He’s got all the tools of a great defenseman. “Carlson isn’t the only player excelling in a contract year. Here are some others:JAMES VAN RIEMSDYKThirty-goal scorers get paid handsomely in free agency because they are so rarely available. Van Riemsdyk’s 33 goals are 11th-most in the NHL, and the 6-foot-3, 217-pound left-winger has gotten better around the net. Van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in 2007, has another one of the league’s best bargain contracts at $4.25 million a year, which Toronto inherited from Philadelphia. The Maple Leafs have expressed interest in keeping the 28-year-old.JOHN TAVARESUndoubtedly the best pending free agent, Tavares still not having a new contract with the New York Islanders is generating buzz and whispers like Steven Stamkos two years ago. Stamkos re-upped with Tampa Bay on the eve of free agency Womens Will Butcher Jersey , which Tavares could do. The Islanders will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season and sixth time in Tavares’ nine years in the league. The point-a-game player with 32 goals and 43 assists could fetch $10 million a year or more if he isn’t back with New York.DAVID PERRONThe expansion Vegas Golden Knights struck gold with Perron, whose 66 points are a career high and a big reason they are leading the Pacific Division. The soon-to-be 30-year-old winger got his game back after bouncing around to four different teams the past five seasons and could easily re-sign with Vegas like teammate Jonathan Marchessault did.JOE THORNTONKnee surgery knocked Thornton out of the San Jose Sharks’ lineup in January, cutting short a season in which he had 36 points in 43 games at age 38. If Thornton shows he can still play at the top of his game when he returns, he will be in demand for another one-year contract.RICK NASHGoing from the New York Rangers to Boston appears to have reinvigorated Nash’s game after just 28 points in 60 games before the trade. The 33-year-old power winger’s contract year won’t truly be judged until the playoffs, where he gets another chance to exorcise some past demons.— BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Rather than lament another sloppy performance after being booed off the ice at the end of the second period, Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres decided to do something about it.Eichel scored and had a hand in setting up Jeff Skinner’s power-play goal 1:49 into overtime, and the Sabres overcame a two-goal deficit in the third to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Tuesday night.“Coming in here after 40 minutes and you’re down two goals, and you just had a couple of days off and you’re at home, there’s got to be some type of emotional response from the room,” said Eichel, noting the Sabres were also smarting from a 6-2 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. “And I think we showed that in the third period.”Johan Larsson http://www.officialislanders.com/authentic-adidas-adam-pelech-jersey , who tied the game, and Zemgus Girgensons also scored for Buffalo. Linus Ullmark stopped 26 shots.The Sabres snapped an 0-3-2 skid that followed their franchise record-tying 10-game winning streak. They improved to 6-7-2 when trailing through two periods by overwhelming a tired Kings team playing on consecutive nights. Los Angeles lost 3-1 at Detroit on Monday and finished this game down to four defensemen.Drew Doughty did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury late in the first period. Dion Phaneuf did not return after two periods due to an upper-body injury.Kings coach Willie Desjardins called both players day to day without revealing the nature of their injuries.“We knew that coming out down a couple of D-men it was going to be a tough period. But the guys played hard,” Desjardins said. “A lot of our guys battled tonight.”Jake Muzzin had a goal and an assist and Adrian Kempe and Matt Luff also scored for the Kings, who dropped to 2-5-1 in their past eight games.“Four D on the second leg of a back-to-back is a tough haul,” Muzzin said. “Frustrating loss, man.”Sabres coach Phil Housley was able to crack a smile when asked if it was his team’s intention to wear down the short-handed Kings in the third period.“Well, we wanted to try to do that in the second period, but we just didn’t manage that part of the game very well,” Housley said. “When we made our mind up that we wanted to play, you could see the result.”Buffalo outshot the Kings 20-4 in the third period and overtime, and converted on two of its final three power-play opportunities.Skinner scored his team-leading 21st goal with eight seconds to go on Oscar Fantenberg’s holding penalty.Eichel’s shot from the left circle was blocked in front. The puck dribbled to Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen at the left post, where he fed a pass through his legs to Skinner Anders Lee Jersey , who swept it into the open right side.“I think it shows what kind of team we are and how we’ve got to play,” said Larsson, who tied the game 7:23 into the third period when Lawrence Pilut’s shot from the right point banked in off his skate.Larsson’s goal came a little under four minutes after Eichel cut the Kings’ lead to 3-2 by blasting in a shot from the left circle that beat rookie Calvin Petersen on the short side.Petersen stopped 43 shots in his first meeting against the team he jilted to become a free agent 18 months ago. He was the Sabres’ fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft, but declined to sign with Buffalo to instead pursue free agency and sign with Los Angeles on July 1, 2017, following his junior season at Notre Dame.“They were the first team to give me a taste of an NHL organization. Obviously, very fortunate for that,” Petersen said. “But I just approached it as another game.”NOTES: Sabres G Carter Hutton served as the backup after missing one game with an upper-body injury. … The Sabres sent D Matt Hunwick to Rochester of the AHL on a rehab assignment, his next step in recovering from a neck injury sustained before training camp. … Kings D Alec Martinez missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTKings: Continue their four-game road trip at Columbus on Thursday night.Sabres: Close a four-game homestand against Arizona on Thursday night.