Capitals trade veteran defenseman John Carlson to Ducks

john carlsonhave time with washington capitals Ended, after the only NHL team he played for traded him anaheim ducks.

The 36-year-old defenseman was traded Friday morning, giving the Capitals a conditional first-round pick in 2026 or 2027 as well as a third-round pick in 2027, which may be the most surprising development ahead of the 3 p.m. ET Friday trade deadline.

Karlsson is the second veteran player the Capitals traded before the deadline. He also traded further Nick Dowd till vegas golden knights On Thursday.

Washington (31-25-7) entered Friday trailing by four points boston bruins For the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Even though the capitals are far apart, they also have columbus blue jackets And ottawa senators In front of them in the standings. Additionally, the Caps have played two more games than the Bruins, Blue Jackets and Senators.

Moving on from Karlsson means the Capitals have only two players – the captain Alex Ovechkin and winger Tom Wilson – Remaining on the roster from the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning team.

This also leaves the Capitals without one of the most impactful players in franchise history. Karlsson is in the top 10 in assists, points and games played.

He currently has 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games, which would put him on pace to finish with 13 goals and 60 points in 72 games for his seventh season of over 50 points.

Karlsson was in the final months of an eight-year contract worth $8 million annually, raising questions about his future.

Anaheim (34-24-3) has added veterans over the past few years who can play a role in shaping a young core that will be led by leo carlson, lucas dostal, jackson lacombe And Mason McTavishamong others.

That approach has played a key role in why the Ducks are one point behind Vegas in the battle to win the Pacific Division and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Now they have added another veteran in Carlson, who can be used on the Ducks’ first or second pairing, as well as be asked to quarterback their first team’s power play.

It’s possible the Ducks could still look to add more help with Pukpedia projecting they’ll have $44.426 million at the deadline.

There are questions about what’s next for Carlsen’s former team.

Pukpedia estimates the Capitals have $26.275 million in deadline cap space if they want to make a move on Friday.

The draft picks they got for Karlsson mean they now have two first-round picks for 2026 and four picks for the first three rounds in 2027 as they look to figure out their future whenever the time comes for the 40-year-old Ovechkin to move on.

Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in goals, is in the final season of his five-year deal worth $9.5 million annually.