John Carlson re-signing with the Washington Capitals is no lock, but when news broke of the Capitals trading Brooks Orpik and his $5.5 million cap hit along with reserve goalie Philipp Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche for a second-round pick, the possibility of the Capitals retaining its top blue-liner grew closer to a reality.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan all but confirmed that a new deal with Carlson could be imminent, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski:
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan on John Carlson: “We’re close. Hopefully we get something done in the next couple of days.”
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 23, 2018
Dan Rosen of NHL.com relayed that MacLellan expanded by saying the deal could be made within the next 24 hours, as the Capitals look to lock Carlson into a new deal before he is allowed to talked to other teams.
Brian MacLellan said the Capitals are "close" to getting a contract done with John Carlson and it could happen in the next 24 hours. They want to get it done before he can begin talking to other teams, which is Sunday.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 23, 2018
The 28-year old Carlson is regarded as the top free agent-defenseman this summer. Carlson is coming off a career year with the Capitals, leading all NHL defensemen with 68 points during the regular season. He also led all defensemen with 20 points in the postseason, helping guide the Caps to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship.
Initially the chance of Carlson returning to the Capitals was slim considering the team’s salary cap space. With little money to work with, there was fear Carlson’s price tag on the open market would be too high for the champs. However, Carlson expressed his desire to remain with the team that drafted him back in 2008.
The Capitals needed to make some move to clear cap space and they did so throwing the 37-year old Orpik in the deal that sent Grubauer to Colorado.
If the Capitals don’t strike a deal by Sunday, Carlson is free to speak with other teams and becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
