LAS VEGAS \u2014 John Carlson professes that he isn\u2019t one to watch a lot of hockey when he is through with a practice session or played a game. When he was at home, the time away from the rink was often about husband duties and being a present father to his four children.<\/p>\n
But when the Washington Capitals\u2019 all-time scoring defenseman was stunned by his trade to the Anaheim Ducks deep into the night before the trade deadline, Carlson immediately turned to doing his homework on the team he was set to join.<\/p>\n
Not long after joining the Ducks on a road trip through Canada and ahead of his Anaheim debut on March 15 against the Montreal Canadiens, Carlson took note of the high-end talent the Ducks had that reminded him of his time coming up with the Capitals. How he felt the \u201csky\u2019s the limit\u201d for a club that was positioned to get in the Stanley Cup playoffs and find success.<\/p>\n
Nearly two months later with a playoff series win in Anaheim\u2019s pocket, Carlson is grateful that the trade didn\u2019t produce a one-and-done scenario as someone who could still be a rental addition. The 36-year-old blueliner heads into the Ducks\u2019 second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights envisioning the possibility of a playoff run.<\/p>\n
What has impressed him about the Ducks after 17 seasons and a legacy left with the Capitals?<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously the quality of team that we are,\u201d Carlson told The Athletic on Sunday after the team arrived at its hotel. \u201cI don\u2019t watch much hockey. I\u2019ve only played against them once this year with a number of guys out. But I did my research before I got here and saw what type of players they have.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow being around them every day, their work ethic, seeing them live, seeing them interact, I think you feel more confident in the players that everyone thinks they are or can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
By reaching the postseason, the Ducks surrendered what has now become their 2026 first-round pick along with a 2027 third-round selection to the Capitals. It was a bold move by general manager Pat Verbeek as Anaheim took its first step out of a lengthy rebuilding plan. Part of it was to reward his club after it responded to first-year coach Joel Quenneville and withstood a midseason slump to fulfill its own mandate to end a seven-year playoff drought.<\/p>\n
After years of being a deadline seller and trading useful players for assets, Carlson was the first notable addition that Verbeek made. He had four goals \u2014 three on April 9 against the San Jose Sharks for his first career hat trick \u2014 and 10 assists in 16 games after scoring 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals.<\/p>\n
Now he has settled into a regular role with Pavel Mintyukov on the Ducks\u2019 second defense pairing. But they essentially added a No. 1-level blueliner that he was for many years in Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gives us some really good, steadying minutes as well,\u201d Quenneville said. \u201cHis experience is helpful for a younger defenseman. Sees the game and reads plays and got a real nice balance to the defense and offensive part of being a defenseman. He\u2019s very useful in a lot of ways, and that experience, we felt it and saw it just being around the team and between games and game day.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the way he carries himself is an influential player to have and brought a lot out of that experience and just knows how to carry himself like a good pro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlson had five assists in the club\u2019s six-game victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Two came on the power play, where he quarterbacks one of the units. Both were potent against the Oilers as Jackson LaCombe assisted on three man-advantage goals as part of a sterling all-around performance.<\/p>\n
While his metrics at even strength haven\u2019t matched the dominance that the LaCombe-Jacob Trouba pairing had, Carlson has been a valuable addition in shouldering the kind of heavy minutes he\u2019s been accustomed to throughout his career. He\u2019s only been with them a short time, but the comfort level was felt right away even as he processed the shock of the trade and playing across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, I feel connected to the guys in the group,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cI think from the time I got here it hasn\u2019t been a straight line, but we certainly showed signs of everything that I thought and said when I got here. It\u2019s an exciting time for the team and myself. I\u2019m grateful for this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is possible that Carlson becomes no more than the Ducks\u2019 hired gun. He can become an unrestricted free agent for the first time after failing to reach an extension with the Capitals, as Washington GM Chris Patrick opted to get assets for a core player integral to their 2018 Stanley Cup championship.<\/p>\n
Carlson will have a lot to weigh as he decides his future. After the trade, he said he felt he had a lot left and intimated that he\u2019s got more years of quality play in him. His family will factor into where he\u2019d like to play. It is a good sign for Anaheim that his wife, Gina, and their kids are now settled in south Orange County.<\/p>\n
This time with the Ducks \u2014 and this potential playoff run \u2014 could serve as a key selling point to where he wants to continue playing. A young, talented core blossoming, bolstered by experienced veterans who could include him at the start of a contending era.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s obviously a huge, huge part of anybody\u2019s future and what they expect,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cThis has always been my goal \u2014 to chase the Stanley Cup. Every time I touch the ice, it\u2019s for that reason and that reason only. I mean, that\u2019s an awesome way to do it. But I think there are more pressing issues right now. That\u2019s where my head is and my energy is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with a salary cap ceiling that\u2019s rising to $104 million for 2026-27, the Ducks will need to be prudent with the estimated $40.5 million they could have available. Young stars Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier are coming off their entry-level deals and could be in line for massive extensions, particularly if Anaheim tries to lock up the restricted free agents for what can still be the maximum of eight-year terms.<\/p>\n
Carlson isn\u2019t their only UFA-bound defenseman. Trouba\u2019s deal is expiring, as is the contract for captain Radko Gudas. They\u2019ve also got a slew of RFA defensemen to decide between. Mintyukov is in the lineup now. Ian Moore and Tyson Hinds are getting regular shifts in these playoffs. Olen Zellweger, who played 76 games during the regular season, has been a healthy scratch.<\/p>\n
The next contracts aren\u2019t front-burner issues for the Ducks now. The Golden Knights are, and that\u2019s all that matters to Carlson. It took him nine years and a lot of playoff disappointments before he drank from the Stanley Cup. He doesn\u2019t have that kind of time to wait for a second taste.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a big test obviously in the first round, and it doesn\u2019t get any easier,\u201d he said. \u201cWe got a huge test ahead of us, and we got to try to impact the game in different ways than we did. But overall, I feel confident in the group. You never want to take it for granted. Even these young guys. You just never know what\u2019s going to happen. Each chance at a Stanley Cup is no less or more than the next one, in my opinion, after being through it on both sides of the aisle on that one. Presidents\u2019 Trophies and first-place finishes. Anywhere from there to just getting in on the last game of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a fun time. That\u2019s what makes hockey great. That\u2019s what makes the playoffs great. And certainly, we have some phenomenal players and pieces in this team that I think are destined for a lot of success. No better time to do it than now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS \u2014 John Carlson professes that he isn\u2019t one to watch a lot of hockey when he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,824,165,164],"class_list":["post-299065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}