The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Declan Carlile will be sidelined for a four- to-five-week period as the result of a lower-body injury. Carlile was placed on injured reserve earlier today.
Today’s news is an unfortunate development for an ascending player who is in the midst of the best season of his professional career. The 6’3″ defenseman was signed by the Lightning as an undrafted college free agent out of Merrimack close to the end of the 2021-22 season. He developed with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the next three full seasons, playing only a small handful of games at the NHL level.
Entering this season, Carlile had just four career games played at the NHL level, but had become a dependable all-around defenseman at the AHL level. This year represents the most significant step forward in Carlile’s pro career, as he has set a career-high with 38 games played at the NHL level, compared to just 16 in the AHL.
His role in the NHL isn’t what it is in the AHL, as he’s largely a reserve player for the Lightning, averaging under 15 minutes of ice time per game. But he has gotten some time on the penalty kill (1:09 per game) and is slowly but surely carving out a place in the NHL.
This injury costs Carlile the chance to skate in what are likely to be high-stakes games for the Lightning as they chase an Atlantic Division title. It also has some financial ramifications for both Carlile and the Lightning. While this injury doesn’t affect what kind of free agent Carlile will be in the summer (there are not enough NHL games left in the season for Carlile to avoid Group-VI UFA status, even if he was healthy), it does cost him the chance to showcase his talents in what are likely to be some of the most important games of the Lightning’s season.
While he still has enough runway to return in time for the playoffs, Carlile would surely be better-positioned to enter the open market were he at full health. In Carlile’s absence, the Lightning are likely to rely more heavily on their existing core of veteran defensemen, an area that is already an area of strength for the team.
Credit the Lightning on developing D-men and finding journeymen in the rough: Raddysh,, D’Astous, Lilleberg, and Carlile are all serviceable defensemen, and Raddysh is a legit top-four piece!
Here is the number 1 story in hockey not reported.
The lightning will miss Carlile, Crozier and Lilleberg more then anyone knows.
Those players, while with less experience, move much better than Hedman, McDonough and Cernak. The team plays much better with the younger guys then the older guys. I know it confounds conventional wisdom.
But just watch the game, when Hedman, McDonough and Cernak are on the ice, they can not get out of their own zone. They do not win puck races and are too slow to move the puck.
Look at the last game vs Carolina, Hedman asleep during the first shift loses race and battle…down 1 -0. Late in tie game. He is wandering aimlessly in front of net, puck off his back side. Game over.
That is just one anecdote, the real proof in the pudding is their record. With Hedman 16-15 and 2, without him and McDonough and Cernak for a long stretch, the team is 24-6-2.
Those are the hard facts. These guys need to play with more pace and get moving or they will be an easy out again.