The Washington Capitals made one of the most surpising moves of the NHL trade deadline by dealing defenseman John Carlson, the second-longest tenured player on the team, to the Anaheim Ducks.
Their longest-tenured player has some thoughts on that.
Advertisement
Speaking with reporters the day after the Capitals announced the move, which will net them a conditional first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick, all-time NHL leading goal-scorer Alex Ovechkin went beyond calling it a sad day:
“Obviously a sad day. Probably the toughest day in my career, talking personal-wise. It sucks. It’s sad.”
Ovechkin and Carlson had been teammates for 17 years, going back to the defenseman’s NHL debut in 2010. Along with other franchise tentpoles like Nicklas Backstrom, the pair presided over an era of Capitals history defined by regular playoff appearances and their Stanley Cup title in 2017-18.
Carlson ranks behind only Ovechkin in games played for the Capitals and behind only Backstrom and Ovechkin on the franchise’s all-time assists leaderboard. Ovechkin believes the franchise has never had a better blueliner:
“He’s obviously the best defenseman in this franchise’s whole history, leader. Obviously, an unbelievable man and a great friend for all of us. It’s hard. It’s a hard day.”
Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson go way back. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
(Scott Taetsch via Getty Images)
The move answers one question for the franchise, making clear general manager Brian MacLellan is prioritizing the future over the 2025-26 season, but makes another question even more pressing.
Advertisement
Ovechkin is a free agent after this season, in which he holds an $8 million cap hit, and he’s been fairly mum on what he’s planning to do. There are indications he’d like to return to his native Russia and play in the KHL before retirement, but he’s going to have options regardless.
Asked about his future with the Capitals on Friday, he basically just shrugged:
“I don’t know. I’m still here, so we’ll see. We’ll see what’s going to happen, but yeah, it’s a hard one.”
The Capitals traded another of their most tenured players on Friday as well, sending longtime fourth-line center Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights. Ovechkin and Tom Wilson are now the only active Capitals players who made their debuts with the team before 2019.
Read the full article here
