The NHL Trade Deadline has already provided some surprising moves. One of the more shocking trades was the one that sent John Carlson from the Washington Capitals to the Anaheim Ducks. Carlson's former teammates were left in shock by the move.
Now, Carlson himself has reacted to the deal, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN.
“John Carlson was asleep when he got the call. Woke up to the news. He knew Ducks were one of 3-4 interested teams he couldn’t block. Too soon if he’d re-sign w/ Caps. Going through emotions of thinking he’d retire there. Viewing Anaheim as a new opportunity & see where it goes,” Kaplan posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Moving on from the 36-year old defender, after trading away Nic Dowd, signals that the Caps are looking to get younger. Still, there has been reporting earlier that the Capitals were looking to re-sign Carlson. The extension did not come to fruition, and he was dealt without one to the Ducks.
This does mean that Carlson could still retire as a Capital. His contract expires at the end of the season, and he will be an unrestricted free agent. The blueliner had spent his entire career in Washington after being selected 27th overall in the 2008 NHL Draft. He played 1,143 regular-season games with the franchise while amassing 771 points and lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018.
At 34-24-3 on the season, the Ducks are in second place in the Pacific Division. If they can hold onto their playoff spot, it would be the first time they have reached the playoffs since 2017-18. This could place the Ducks in a position to continue adding pieces.
For all of the NHL Trade Deadline reporting ahead of the Friday 3 p.m. ET deadline, stick with ClutchPoints as stories break and develop.
