John Carlson saw his 2025-26 season come to an end this past week. Carlson’s Ducks were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights in a tough-fought six-game series.
The question for Carlson will now be whether he enjoyed his few months with the Ducks enough to re-sign with the club this summer. The 36-year-old defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, preparing to potentially sign his first-ever contract with a team other than the Washington Capitals. During Anaheim’s breakdown day on Friday, Carlson admitted that a return to the Ducks is not out of the question.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m open for sure,” Carlson said. “I think there’s no bones about that. I think this is a special place that is coming into a special time with the players here, and the organization, and all that.”
According to reporting earlier this month from The Athletic’s Chris Johnston, Carlson and the Ducks did begin exploratory talks about an extension. However, on Friday, Carlson made it clear that the two sides have not discussed any specific numbers, simply responding, “No,” when asked.
Carlson, wearing a Maryland Terrapins hat during his final media availability, spoke highly of the Ducks and the club’s collection of young, star talent. In 28 combined regular-season and playoff games with Anaheim, Carlson recorded 20 points (4g, 16a). He had a rough series against the Golden Knights, notching just one assist.
The Carlson family still has deep roots in the DC area, where he spent 17 years with the Capitals and started his family with his wife, Gina. He admitted that he and his family are set to take some time to make a decision this summer as they wade into the unfamiliar waters of free agency.
“Well, I mean, that’s the part of it that I don’t have answers for right now,” Carlson said. “I certainly loved it here. There’s a lot of moving parts to that to properly answer the question. But, yeah, I’ve loved my time. It’s a special place here for sure, with some extraordinary talent and a really bright future. So that certainly is attractive to anyone, not just myself. So, from that standpoint, that’s what I would say. But there’s more to it than that, of course, with everything else.”
Carlson, as a veteran right-handed defenseman with a Stanley Cup pedigree, should have plenty of suitors around the NHL if he chooses to test the market in July. One of those teams could very well be the Capitals, as general manager Chris Patrick made it known that the team is looking to address the right side of their defense this summer.
After dealing Carlson to the Ducks for two draft picks at the trade deadline, Patrick declined to comment when asked if he’d consider bringing Carlson back as a free agent, noting that the NHL’s tampering rules prevented him from speaking on Carlson’s status.
“As weird as it is to say this and hear this coming out of my mouth, I actually can’t comment on John because he’s a property of another team, and that would be tampering,” Patrick said. “So it’s kind of bizarre to even say that.”
According to AFP Analytics, Carlson’s next contract is projected to be for three years at a $6.2 million cap hit. Per PuckPedia, the Capitals are set to have around $36.6 million in cap space this offseason. As things stand, the Caps only have two right-shot blueliners from this past year’s roster under contract for next season: Matt Roy and Dylan McIlrath.
