In a late night blockbuster, the Anaheim Ducks have acquired defenceman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a conditional 2026 1st round pick and a 2027 third rounder.
The conditions on the first round pick are as follows: if Anaheim does not qualify for the postseason this year, they will have the option to retain their 2026 1st round pick and instead send Washington their 2027 first rounder.
The trade is a massive deal for arguably one of the greatest defenders in Capital franchise history who continues to produce at an elite level even at 36 years of age. On the season Carlson has 46 points (10G, 36A) across 55 contests, which averaging 22:52 of ice-time per night.
Originally drafted 27th overall by the Capitals back in 2008, the Natick, MA native has spent his entire professional career with Washington. A veteran of 1,143 NHL games, Carlson has scored 166G and 605A over the course of his 17 season stint in DC.
“Since joining our organization 17 years ago, John Carlson has exemplified what it means to be a Washington Capital every day,” Washington general manager Chris Patrick said. “John’s determination, leadership, persistence and skill helped our franchise reach new heights and cemented him as a cornerstone and one of the greatest players in Capitals history. His contributions to our organization and the Washington, D.C., community both on and off the ice have been immeasurable. We are incredibly grateful for everything John has given to our team and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward with Anaheim.”
Capitals players didn’t attempt to hide their disappointment that they wouldn’t be able to make another playoff run with their longtime teammate. “It’s obviously a sad day, probably the toughest day in my career, I’m talking about personal-wise,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said Friday. “It [stinks]. It’s sad.”
“It’s a tough day; it’s a lot to digest,” Washington forward Tom Wilson said. “It’s all I’ve ever known, so it’s hard on the team, it’s hard on the individuals. It’s hard on kind of everything when you have a guy like that that’s been here forever and just the guy that so many people look to for so many things. There’s certain guys in the locker room that are just kind of a ‘North Star’ a little bit where you just kind of know that they’re going to try and lead you in the right direction and they’re going to get it done on the ice and they’re going to kind of do all of the above. He’s one of those guys. So, it’s a tough one. It’s tough to digest for the team.”
Currently in the final season of an 8 year, $64M contract signed back in 2018, Carlson will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. As a result, his absence could be just a temporary one if the club opts to renew negotiations with the blue liner’s camp in the offseason.
In Anaheim, the team now gets another proven winner with Stanley Cup experience to help guide a young team looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. At 34-24-3, the Ducks are just 1 point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific division with 21 games to go on the year.
“John Carlson brings leadership, character, a high hockey IQ and a presence to our lineup,” Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said. “We are very excited to add a Stanley Cup winner to complement our group and make a big push down the stretch.”
Carlson figures to slot into the team’s top 4 defensive pairings and could see some time on the power play as well. Jackson Lacombe or Olen Zellweger figure to be beneficiaries of a new defensive partner, likely bumping either Radko Gudas or Jacob Trouba down the depth chart.
Up next for Anaheim is a 9pm ET showdown with the Montreal Canadiens, while Washington is off until Saturday when they’ll take on the Boston Bruins.
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