Washington Capitals star defenseman John Carlson is entering the final season of his contract with the team in 2025-26.
Despite finishing as the top team in the Eastern Conference during the 2024-25 regular season, the Washington Capitals are looking for answers after a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
One of the most pressing pieces of business for the organization going forward is the future of heart and soul defenseman John Carlson, whose contract expires next year.
But despite that, the franchise is not planning to undergo contract extension talks with the 35-year-old this summer, general manager Chris Patrick confirmed on Monday.
“He’s obviously a huge part of our team and had a great season. All expectations are he’s going to have another great season next year, but I think it probably makes sense to see how things play out a little bit,” Patrick said at the Capitals' end-of-season media availability.
The executive continued: “We’re a mature team, transitioning to a younger team, and we just want to make sure that we’re putting guys in the right position to have success and that expectations line up. Nothing imminent this summer.”
Carlson signed an eight-year, $64 million extension with Washington back in June of 2018, shortly after he helped the franchise win its inaugural Stanley Cup championship. The Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to capture the title, although the team hasn't been past the second round since.
The Natick, Massachusetts native chipped in five goals and 51 points over 79 games in 2024-25, just one shy of the 52 he managed over a full 82-game slate in 2023-24. It seems the front office wants to see how Carlson performs next year — along with the rest of the roster — before considering a new deal.
Capitals exceeded expectations in 2024-25
Despite losing to an excellent Hurricanes team in the postseason, it was a terrific year for the Capitals. After a couple of savvy offseason additions, including bringing Logan Thompson, Matt Roy, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Jakob Chychrun to the nation's capital, Washington won the Metropolitan Division and banked 51 wins in the process.
The team failed to qualify for the postseason altogether in 2022-23, the first time that had happened in nearly a decade beforehand. And last year, Washington finished fourth in the Metro, just squeaking into the playoffs before being swept by the President's Trophy-winning New York Rangers in Round 1.
Although it ended disappointingly this time around, there's belief in the nation's capital that this roster can again compete for a Stanley Cup in the twilight of Carlson and Alex Ovechkin's careers. That's especially true considering how good Thompson was between the pipes throughout the campaign.
The goal scoring dried up against Carolina, and that should be a focus for the front office to rectify over the next couple of months. It'll be interesting to see what moves the Capitals make on both the trade and free agent markets as they look to remain at the top of the Eastern Conference again in 2025-26.
