ANAHEIM, Calif. – It wasn’t a place veteran defenseman John Carlson expected himself to be on Friday, let alone at any point in his NHL career.
Carlson addressed media on a video call just after the league’s trade deadline just before he was set to leave his home of Washington, D.C. for the first time in his 17-year NHL career and hop on a plane to the West Coast to join his new teammates on the Anaheim Ducks.
Carlson said it had felt destined he’d play his entire NHL career with one franchise, which includes a 2018 Stanley Cup championship, and finish as a lifetime Capital, but circumstances dictated otherwise, when he was traded Thursday night for a conditional first-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick.
“It's tough to say after the fact, but for sure, if you asked me a couple days ago, I would say, yeah,” Carlson said. “That was always a goal of mine (to finish in Washington). That was always what I had anticipated or strive to be that person in the community and on the ice, and it didn't work out like that. So, I move on. I'm excited for this new opportunity. Excited to get out of my comfort zone too and get to a new organization, meet a lot of new faces, mesh with a lot of new players, and I think that's a challenge that's very appealing to me.”
That was a recurring theme for Carlson in his media availability. Despite the weirdness of the situation–including the middle-of-the-night announcement, which was first relayed to him by his Massachusetts cousin, who was up late shoveling snow–the 36-year-old defenseman was excited about his move to the Ducks.
“Crazy day with my family, crazy day. Packing, getting ready, saying goodbyes,” Carlson said. “It's an exciting time and certainly, as getting more and more exciting as I'm nearing the plane, but there was a lot that went into the day as well that I've never had to deal with. And that's part of life. That's part of this league. I've been lucky not to have to do too many of these things, but with that said, thrilled to be an Anaheim Duck and thrilled to start getting going.”
Carlson’s impact on the Capitals in his 17-year run was evident from the media sessions in Washington, where NHL all-time goals leader Alex Ovechkin called it the saddest day of his career.
It’s a loss for the Capitals organization, but a gain for Anaheim.
“Definitely was a difficult morning from that standpoint, as well as the getting in front of guys that you care so much about, and have all touched you in different ways,” Carlson said. “I've learned so much whether it was from Ovi or whether it was from Justin Sourdif or Ryan Leonard. I really ingested so much information from those guys, from the coaches to Wellsy as a new coach. I think that's always been my mentality, is learning from others. And they have so many great people in that organization that mean so much to me. That was very difficult, and certainly, those emotions of friendships and memories will be there for a long time.”
Carlson now joins the young and rising Ducks, whose roster of talented budding superstars like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier sparked enthusiasm for Carlson about the move.
And while several years the senior of Carlsson, Gauthier and the youthful left side of the Ducks defensive corps, the 36-year-old right-handed blue-liner declared “I’m not near done.”
“I think I got a lot left in the tank,” Carlson said. “I think mentally I'm better than ever. I think obviously, I've been out a few games here (recently) and that kind of stinks, but this season I felt like I played some of my best hockey. My body's felt some of the best it's felt in four or five years. So, I think I got a lot of momentum in that respect. I think even before this trade, I would say coming into the year, I was as hungry as ever.”
Below is a full transcript of the media call with Ducks defenseman John Carlson on Friday (questions and responses edited for clarity):
In the hours since the deal, what's it been like to kind of process this for you?
Obviously I wasn't aware kind of at the time of getting announced, just kind of sleeping and whatnot, but soon enough, after your phone rings enough, you kind of start wrestling around and actually, one of my cousins was up in Massachusetts plowing and stuff. He had the news too, and he was calling me, and so you kind of figured it out. In the middle of the night, it's not the best way to find out some, some very altering news like that. Just been a crazy day. Crazy day with my family, crazy day. Packing, getting ready, saying goodbyes. It's an exciting time and certainly, as getting more and more exciting as I'm nearing the plane, but there was a lot that went into the day as well that I've never had to deal with. And that's part of life. That's part of this league. I've been lucky not to have to do too many of these things, but with that said, thrilled to be an Anaheim Duck and thrilled to start getting going.
It's my understanding that your contract talks with your representation and the Caps went right up to their decision. Am I correct with that? And did you really think that there was a possibility that they would go ahead and make this move to trade?
Yeah, so that's pretty accurate, I would say. Obviously, in the days leading up, I became more aware of the potential for something like this to happen, and that's where I stood. So, it wasn't a total blindside or anything like that. Like I said before, maybe the timing of the whole situation was a little wacky, but I guess that's just part of it and whatnot. Like I said, again, I'm excited, thrilled to be with the Ducks, thrilled to get out to California.
I'm sure you have dual thoughts here, among the many that are going through your head. The way it went down, did that bother you at all? Were you notified, or were you given any sort of heads up before you went to sleep? And then the flip side of it is, what about joining this Ducks team that seemingly is on the rise and obviously made a big move to get you?
It was days coming to the understanding that this is a potential. So from that standpoint, that's what I knew. It wasn't a complete blindside or anything like that. Like I said, about the timing in the middle of the night, I don't know how these things work. I've never been a part of one. Don't care to be a veteran in that sense. But the team, I think that it's an amazing opportunity for me. I've been here forever, so obviously to one of your questions, yeah, there's many, many emotions throughout this day from the time that I found out until the time I'm talking to you right now. And those emotions will be there for a long time. I've had a very long run here. A lot of great friendships on and off the ice uh, in the community and not, that I'm going to miss. And to have a family and be away and have to move them maybe across the country. Those are all big things in life. And it's exciting time. It's a great team to come to. I think they are loaded with talent, loaded with some character guys that I'm really looking forward to playing with. After seeing them on TV, seeing the games against them, and so I'm excited to take on this new challenge.
I say this as a 36 year old myself. You're having a pretty good season, but how much more do you still think you have left in the tank as an NHL player?
I think I got a lot left in the tank. I think mentally I'm better than ever. I think obviously I've been out a few games here and that kind of stinks, but this season I felt like I played some of my best hockey. My body's felt some of the best it's felt in four or five years. So, I think I got a lot of momentum in that respect. I think even before this trade, I would say coming into the year, I was as hungry as ever. I'm not near done. I don't have 10 years left, though. So I think as that clock starts to tick. Every practice, every game, everything just means a little bit more and I think that's where I'm at mentally. I'm thrilled to take on this challenge. But certainly, I'm not ready to be done with this great game, and I know that I can be a very effective player into the future.
I know you're still trying to wrap your head around the situation being traded at all, I'm sure, but is there any thought to you're going to a new spot, you want to kind of latch in and kind of stick with that? Or are you not taking too far ahead in terms of where you might have to make those decisions in the summer?
Yeah, I don't know. I'm worried about getting on the plane right now, and meeting the guys and doing all that. I think there'll be due time for everything. We'll see what happens. I guess I would say that I'm open to anything and everything. Like I said, it's a new experience. It's a whole new thing for me. There'll be a lot to sort through, a lot of unpacking these emotions and channeling my excitement. I'm just thrilled. I really am. I'm grateful for the new opportunity.
I know you've crossed paths with a few of the guys here in Anaheim, whether it's Radko (Gudas, former Capitals teammate) or Chris Kreider (Team USA World Juniors teammate). Have you talked to any of those guys yet, reached out?
Yeah, no, I think they've been–everyone from the staff down has been very receptive, very friendly, reaching out. Which is big. I always say that, and usually I'm the one on the other end of the line, but I think the more confident and comfortable you can get in a situation, the better you're going to play in, especially in a quick manner.
A lot of guys (in Washington) talked about today, just talking to Ovechkin and to Tom Wilson and some of the other guys this morning. What was that like for you? It seems surreal that it was actually happening.
Yeah, definitely had that feeling. Definitely was a difficult morning from that standpoint, as well as the getting in front of guys that you care so much about, and have all touched you in different ways. I've learned so much whether it was rom Ovi or whether it was from Justin Sourdif or Ryan Leonard. I really ingested so much information from those guys, from the coaches to Wellsy as a new coach. I think that's always been my mentality, is learning from others. And they have so many great people in that organization that mean so much to me. That was very difficult, and certainly, those emotions of friendships and memories will be there for a long time.
I know you were talking contract, but did you think that this was gonna be a place you're gonna be for your entire career?
Yeah, I mean, it's tough to say after the fact, but for sure, if you ask me a couple days ago, I would say, yeah. That was always a goal of mine. That was always what I had anticipated or strive to be that person in the community and on the ice, and it didn't work out like that. So, I move on, and like I said before, I'm excited for this new opportunity. Excited to get out of my comfort zone too and and get to a new organization, meet a lot of new faces, mesh with a lot of new players, and I think that's a challenge that's very appealing to me.
What was the conversation like with your kids this morning? Did they understand what was going on or?
My younger ones don't really care. I think my oldest one, I think it's kind of hit him here and there. Oh, are we moving? What are my friends, or where are my, you know–there's a lot more to it when you're 10 years old than than five or two. Those are hard conversations too, to say, well, I'm going to be gone for a long time. I hope that we sort out what our family plan is and all that. So those are tough conversations to have, and especially when your kids are that age and have feelings and emotions too.
When you were coming up from Hershey (Washington’s AHL affiliate), like you, and Ovie, and Kuzy, all these guys were young guys that were kind of sitting on ‘Go’ as a young core. How do you feel now coming into a team that has that? But you're kind of on the other side of this, the veteran guy, looking at Cutter and Leo and all these guys that are, knocking on the door for Anaheim.
Yeah, no, I think that's a very interesting and cool kind of angle from this whole thing, too, is I think I can add a lot of value both in my play and what I can do out there, but also what I think I can impart on them mentally or through talking and chatting. I think there's so much talent there. There's so much fun to be had that it's an exciting proposition, and like I said before, I mean, I think that these guys, especially now, with how skilled they are, I mean, they were top, top elite players that I'm coming to play with. So, I'm gonna be learning from them just like I hope that they'll be learning from me.
You're touched on this a little bit in terms of things you learned from Ovechkin and as time as captain there. I know this morning he said something to the effect that this was like the saddest day of his career of you being traded. Can you just talk to kind of the personal bond you had with him and maybe some of the other guys that did a really long tenure in DC there?
I've played with four or five guys for a really long time, and I've built many, many deep friendships with and family friendships and kids and and all that. That's a tough part of the business. It's really, it's not easy to do those things. It's not easy to go your separate ways, but, like I said, it's part of the gig, I guess. And it's just something that you have to deal with right now and work through as we're all going our different directions.
I know you guys had a fantastic regular season last year, the playoffs didn't go quite how you'd hoped. How excited are you now to be stepping into a situation where you're on a trajectory to be in the playoffs, to be in a division that's pretty wide open in terms of the playoffs and maybe get a deep run with a new group here?
I think that they got all the makings of a team that's more than capable of that too. That's obviously very attractive to me and very advantageous and I'm grateful to be able to land in a spot like this, really, truly. From anything, from how I've been treated so far to the quality of players that I'll be playing with and the community and how everything's sounds great. I didn't have too much today, obviously, as far as a no-trade list and stuff, but you can still find yourself in different situations throughout this league and I'm grateful to be in this one.
How was Anaheim perceived in the rest of the league? Because they have been scuffling for a little bit. They seem to be really good this year. Is that the perception? Do you think you're coming to a team that can make a deep playoff front? And the fact that Anaheim is where they are, they add you, and you're like the final piece. You’re their big trade deadline acquisition. How do you feel about that? Is that a lot of pressure? Is that more of a compliment than anything else?
I think it's both, for sure. I think there's definitely both sides to that. I think the feeling around the league is very positive, I think. I've had former coaches, players, teammates reach out and kind of allude to the fact that this seems the real deal. They got some really, really amazing pieces. Obviously, we've played against them. I've watched them. I know a lot about them myself, but guys in different divisions and all that have seen them more, that means a lot to me too. So like I said, I'm thrilled to be here. I'm thrilled to looking up and down this roster and seeing what we got there is very cool to see and very exciting to get to get to be a part of.