The Carolina Hurricanes made a draft-stopping deal, pausing Round 6 at pick number 192 for nearly 15-20 minutes.
The wait was for what would become the final major trade at the 2026 NHL Draft. The Hurricanes acquired John Carlson‘s rights from the Anaheim Ducks for their sixth-round selection and defenseman Kyle Masters, a 23-year-old prospect who spent last season in the ECHL.
Anaheim then selected center Noah Kosick with the 192nd pick.
The Hurricanes’ acquisition of Carlson comes as the defenseman has stated he wants to play on the East Coast and has been rumored to be signing a big-money, short-term deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning on the first day of free agency on July 1.
The Hurricanes’ interest comes as a surprise, with only Tampa Bay, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Philadelphia Flyers having previously been linked to him. Chris Johnston reported that the Hurricanes had no pre-arranged deal with Carlson, meaning they just wanted to try to talk to him early to convince him to sign with them.
Carolina currently has only five defensemen under contract for next season. Alexander Nikishin is a restricted free agent who has been rumored to be in a trade offer for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
After spending 17 seasons with the Capitals, Carlson was dealt at the trade deadline to the Ducks. He scored 14 points in 16 regular-season games with Anaheim, scoring his first career hat trick down the stretch. With both the Ducks and Capitals combined, Carlson recorded 60 points (14g, 46a) — the most since the 2021-22 season when he scored 71 points (17g, 54a) with the Capitals.
Carlson added six assists in 12 games as the Ducks were eliminated in the second round by the Vegas Golden Knights.
