John Carlson is headed into the final year of his contract with the Washington Capitals and reportedly has no intention of playing anywhere else.
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the veteran defenseman would like to sign an extension with the Capitals, but is also not willing to accept just any offer that the team presents him. Carlson is being paid $8 million against the salary cap this year and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if the two parties cannot reach an agreement.
“[Carlson] doesn’t want to leave after this season,” LeBrun writes. “But there also haven’t been any real contract talks yet. He turns 36 in January and would rather stay in Washington, but he remains a very effective player, and I don’t think this is a situation where he’s willing to just take absolutely anything in order to stay. He’s looking for a fair deal.”
Carlson himself revealed that he and the Capitals had not had any talks about an extension over the summer during his media availability at the start of training camp. Despite the potential uncertainty, he didn’t seem too worried about what his future looks like with the only NHL club he’s played for.
“I think anybody would probably love security,” Carlson said then. “I think that’s a normal thought to have, but I’m not thinking about it now.”
Carlson, an alternate captain for the last six seasons, led all Capitals defensemen in scoring during the 2024-25 campaign with 51 points (5g, 46a) in 79 games and finished 22nd in the NHL in time on ice per game (23:34). The 35-year-old rearguard finished 16th overall in Norris Trophy voting for the league’s best defenseman.
In his 16th season with the Capitals, Carlson also posted some of the best play-driving results of his career. With Carlson on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals saw 54.1 percent of shot attempts, 54.2 percent of expected goals, 54 percent of scoring chances, and 53.3 percent of high-danger chances during his ice time. The club scored 65 goals during his minutes, the most of any defender on the team.
Carlson is already the Capitals’ all-time leader among defenseman in games played (1,088), goals (156), assists (569), and points (725). He is also just 19 points shy of leaping over Mathieu Schneider (743) to become the fifth-highest scoring American defender in NHL history. He became only the 31st NHL defenseman to record 700 career points last January.
According to @AFPAnalytics, a Carlson extension is expected to cost approximately $6.9 million for three years. The current highest-paid defender on the Capitals is Jakob Chychrun, after the 27-year-old signed an eight-year, $72 million ($9 million AAV) contract extension last March.
The Capitals are currently projected to have $36.5 million in cap space next offseason. Carlson’s long-time running mate, captain Alex Ovechkin, is also heading into the final year of his contract with the Caps.
