The Washington Capitals' decision to move on from their franchise's greatest defenseman was a shocking thing to happen after midnight Eastern. Nevertheless, the cruel world of the NHL Trade Deadline led to the Anaheim Ducks acquiring John Carlson from the Capitals for a conditional first-round and third-round pick. Carlson leaves Washington ranked first in franchise defensemen in games, goals, points, and, of course, won the team's one Stanley Cup in 2018.
The Ducks drew a line in the sand with their goals for this season. It's hard to blame them when looking at the rest of the Pacific Division. The team's biggest competitors are the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers, who have their own problems. It's hard not to feel optimistic when going against a team in Vegas that secured a win over a playoff team for the first time since November on Wednesday night, and a team in Edmonton that still doesn't have a goalie and did a ton of roster moves this season to end up with the same problems as they had before.
On the other side, the Capitals are just four points back of the last wildcard spot, but have two extra games played over the three teams ahead of them. It's a bit of a surprise to see Washington make this decision in what could be Alex Ovechkin's final season. Still, when you have a chance to improve the team's future outlook, Chris Patrick didn't hesitate to throw a wrench into the dressing room, possibly.
John Carlson's legacy with Capitals
Capitals fans didn't know that the last time they'd see their star defenseman in their uniform was Feb. 5 against the Nashville Predators. He suffered a lower-body injury that day, was slowly working his way back at Washington's practice, and is now day-to-day. He is unlikely to make his debut on Friday night against the Montreal Canadiens, but Sunday's matchup with the St. Louis Blues is a possibility.
It's possible it wasn't the last game in a Capitals uniform for Carlson. He wasn't able to make progress on an extension this time around in Washington, but he also doesn't have a deal in place with Anaheim on an extension, either. The plan to bring a player back after trading them at the deadline hardly ever works out the way fans dream, but there is a possibility the Capitals could have the best of both worlds here and land two draft picks while bringing the defenseman back on July 1.
Capitals, Ducks trade grades
The Ducks are making a great decision to go all in for this year's postseason. They are a bit of a high-event team, which doesn't lend itself to much defensive hockey, but a solid three on the backend of Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and captain Radko Gudas makes them a scary group to have to play over a seven-game series.
The Ducks still have a bunch of draft picks in the cupboard, and room to make another big addition on Friday before the trade deadline. With all their defense except two on expiring contracts, Anaheim can make a run at a Stanley Cup this season and then reimagine the structure of their roster in the offseason.
If the Capitals re-sign Carlson in the offseason, convince Ovechkin to return for one more year, and add those two draft picks, this trade would be an epic win, but that's more of a long-term evaluation than a reflection of how the trade looks in the moment. More general managers should be like Patrick and see the writing on the wall about their team's outlook before it's too late, as most in his spot at this year's trade deadline would've tried to add and put their team further into despair.
It's also hard to see this trade not working out for the Ducks, unless Carlson's lower-body injury limits him more than expected.
Ducks grade: A-
Capitals grade: B+
