The Washington Capitals didn’t come into the season looking to rush into contract talks with longtime defenseman John Carlson. The plan was simple: let the season breathe, see where things stand, and take it from there. Now, it seems those early evaluations have been made - and the door to an extension is officially open.
General Manager Chris Patrick confirmed during a press conference on Friday that conversations have taken place between the team and Carlson’s camp about a possible new deal. And those talks, according to Patrick, are expected to continue.
Carlson, now 36, has been a fixture on the Capitals’ blue line for nearly two decades. Drafted 27th overall back in 2008, he’s spent his entire 17-year NHL career in Washington - a rare one-franchise player in today’s game. At his peak, Carlson was one of the league’s most productive defensemen, hitting the 70-point mark three times, including a standout 75-point campaign in 2019-20 that earned him a runner-up finish in Norris Trophy voting.
That eight-year, $64 million deal he signed back in the summer of 2018? At the time, it raised eyebrows.
But looking back now, it’s aged pretty well. Carlson gave the Capitals elite production for the bulk of that contract and has remained a consistent contributor even as his offensive numbers have dipped slightly in recent seasons.
Last year, he still managed over 50 points - for the second straight season - and came into this year with questions swirling about whether Jakob Chychrun, who just started his own eight-year, $72 million deal, would take over as the team’s top dog on defense.
But Carlson wasn’t ready to hand over the reins just yet.
Chychrun has certainly made his presence felt - his 15 goals rank second among NHL defensemen - but Carlson is quietly ahead of him in total points with 36. He’s logging nearly 23 minutes a night, second-most on the team, and remains a key piece on both the power play and penalty kill. No, he’s not the same player who was putting up Norris-caliber numbers a few years ago, but he’s proving he’s still very much an impact player.
Of course, the big question now is how much longer that level of play can hold up. Carlson has logged 1,269 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs, and that kind of mileage adds up. It’s tough to project a 36-year-old defenseman maintaining top-pairing minutes deep into another multi-year deal.
That’s why this next contract negotiation is going to be a delicate one. Even with the salary cap expected to rise and a relatively thin crop of pending UFA defensemen available this summer, it’s unlikely the Capitals will be eager to match Carlson’s current $8 million AAV.
One potential path? Add a few extra years to bring down the average annual value - a common tactic in the modern NHL - but that approach comes with risk, especially on the back end of the deal.
The good news for Washington is they’ll have the financial flexibility to make it work, one way or another. According to PuckPedia, the Capitals are projected to have $36.5 million in cap space heading into the offseason. A big chunk of that is tied up in expiring deals for both Carlson and Alex Ovechkin, giving Patrick the opportunity to either reshape the team’s core or double down on veteran leadership.
While Ovechkin hasn’t made a decision about his future yet, it’s clear the front office is at least exploring the option of keeping the band together. Carlson’s extension talks are the first signal in that direction - and depending on how those negotiations unfold, it could set the tone for what’s next in Washington.