The Washington Capitals pulled off one of the most significant trades in franchise history, dealing defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional first-round pick in 2026 or 2027 and a third-round pick in 2027. Carlson, arguably the greatest defenseman in Capitals history, played 17 seasons in DC and owns most of the team’s franchise records for defensemen.
The trade is shocking on its own, but so too is how the club communicated it with their franchise star.
Carlson’s trade was announced publicly a little after 1 am Eastern Time, and according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Capitals alternate captain since 2019-20 was asleep when it happened. The Caps apparently didn’t like how the Nic Dowd trade leaked, so the team handled the Carlson deal differently.
He was asleep when trade occurred. Earlier in week, Capitals verbally agreed to Nic Dowd deal with Vegas late the night before. Trade call was delayed until next day, but news got out beforehand.
Caps were upset about that; they didn’t want Carlson to find out that way. They decided on the opposite approach this time…informing Carlson sometime Friday overnight (EDIT: not sure about exact time). We will see what he says today, everyone still recovering from the shock.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan had similar reporting. LeBrun said, “the trade happened so late that John Carlson was asleep and didn’t find out until this morning.” Kaplan added that Carlson knew that Anaheim was one of three or four teams not on his no-trade list who were interested.
With the Capitals unlikely to make the playoffs and Carlson an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, trading him for future assets is the right move and also potentially gives the 36-year-old another opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup. But the way the team handled his exit is surprising and John deserved better.
