Although speculation has pegged Washington as a buyer at this season's deadline, chatter suggests rival clubs may still be angling to pry loose one of the franchise's seasoned cornerstones.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that Washington has fielded inquiries from interested teams probing how available John Carlson, who wears an alternate captain's letter, might be. Now 36 years old, the defenseman is poised to reach unrestricted free agency come July and is presently shelved by a lower-body ailment.
The update from LeBrun surfaced in the freshest installment of his rumblings column for the outlet.
In it, LeBrun explained that during Monday's edition of The Athletic Hockey Show he had been asked to flag an under-the-radar name ahead of the deadline — someone nobody was discussing — and he offered Carlson, since such a move would qualify as a shock. LeBrun went on to say he doubts a deal happens, reasoning that Washington intends to stay competitive and won't want to weaken its roster. Even so, he noted, Carlson's looming UFA status guarantees teams will keep dialing, and he believes a few already have, though he figures only a genuinely strong package would make Washington seriously consider it.
The blueliner is wrapping up the last season of an eight-season, $64-million pact he signed in Washington during 2018. The Caps are the only club he has known across his pro career, and the way Chris Patrick, who runs the front office, tells it, the two sides got extension talks underway earlier in the year.
A two-time All-Star in the league, the rearguard remains sharp and quite productive, having compiled 46 points this season — 10 goals to go with 36 helpers — over a span of 55 games. Should he climb to the 50-point plateau again, it would be his third campaign in a row doing so.
The underlying numbers favor the Caps when their veteran is out for five-on-five shifts this year. Washington owns a 53.2 percent edge in shot attempts. Its share of the expected-goals split sits at 52.0 percent. On scoring chances the figure is 52.1 percent, while the high-danger-chance number lands at 51.6 percent. His broader part in the operation has shrunk slightly, mostly thanks to Jakob Chychrun stepping into the top power-play role he used to hold. The veteran averages 22:52 a night, second on the roster behind only the 23:41 logged by Chychrun.
Echoing LeBrun, any suitor would almost certainly have to floor the Capitals with its proposal. Washington will also gain a clearer read on where it sits in the East's postseason chase once Tuesday night's contest against Utah wraps up. The club then sits idle until a daytime tilt the day following the cutoff, when it visits the Bruins up in Boston.
Though a transaction seems improbable, the shape of one could rival or surpass what Calgary brought in this past January, when the Flames dealt defenseman Rasmus Andersson to Vegas. Retaining half of Andersson's cap charge, Calgary received blueliner Zach Whitecloud, the young Abram Wiebe as a prospect, a first-round selection in 2027, plus a conditional second-rounder due in 2028.
No defenseman in franchise history outranks Carlson in the record books. He sits atop the team's all-time defenseman list for appearances, having suited up 1,143 times. His tallies of 166 goals, 605 assists, and 771 points likewise lead the way. This past January he became merely the 21st blueliner the league has ever seen reach the 600-assist threshold.