Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin calls John Carlson trade the saddest day of his career

The Washington Capitals shocked the hockey world past midnight on Friday, as they dealt veteran defenseman John Carlson, and that may include Alex Ovechkin.

“I was in shock mode,” Ovechkin said after Friday’s practice. “Me and my wife were like, ‘Wow.’ …Just in shock.”

The Capitals traded Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. The conditions on the first-round pick depend on if the Ducks qualify for the playoffs, as if they miss, they’ll have the option to defer from their 2026 to their 2027 first-round pick.

For Ovechkin, losing his long-time teammate is the toughest day of his career.

Ovechkin and Carlson spent 17 seasons together in Washington, as Ovechkin was in his fifth season when Carlson made his NHL debut in 2009-10. The duo had many successful seasons together, highlighted by a Stanley Cup win in 2018.

Ovechkin and Carlson rank first and second all-time in games played in Capitals’ franchise history with a respective 1,554 and 1,143 games. Carlson also ranks first in points among Capitals defensemen with 771, close to double the points of the next closest blueliner.

The trade also comes as a surprise because the Capitals are still in the heat of the playoff race. While they are 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 31-25-7 record, they sit just four points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot, albeit with two more games played than Boston.

But Ovechkin isn’t going to take the trades to Carlsson and Nic Dowd as a sign for the Caps to call it a season. His message to the group?

“Keep fighting. We’re still in this.”

The trade also comes at an interesting point in Ovechkin’s career, as the 40 year old is in the final year of a five-year contract with a $9.5 million cap hit. There was some uncertainty about whether or not this will be Ovechkin’s final season in the NHL, but in the wake of the trade, there was also some concern about if he’d return to the Capitals, feeling betrayed by the team for dealing his longtime teammate. For now, Ovechkin is uncertain.

“I don’t know,” Ovechkin said. “I’m still here so we’ll see. We’ll see what’s going to happen. It’s a hard one.”