Capitals star reportedly wants to sign a contract extension with the Capitals but is looking for a ‘fair deal’ to stay

John Carlson is headed into the final year of his contract with the Washington Capitals and reportedly has no intention of playing anywhere else.

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the veteran defenseman would like to sign an extension with the Capitals, but is also not willing to accept just any offer that the team presents him. Carlson is being paid $8 million against the salary cap this year and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if the two parties cannot reach an agreement.

“[Carlson] doesn’t want to leave after this season,” LeBrun writes. “But there also haven’t been any real contract talks yet. He turns 36 in January and would rather stay in Washington, but he remains a very effective player, and I don’t think this is a situation where he’s willing to just take absolutely anything in order to stay. He’s looking for a fair deal.”

Carlson himself revealed that he and the Capitals had not had any talks about an extension over the summer during his media availability at the start of training camp. Despite the potential uncertainty, he didn’t seem too worried about what his future looks like with the only NHL club he’s played for.

“I think anybody would probably love security,” Carlson said then. “I think that’s a normal thought to have, but I’m not thinking about it now.”

Carlson, an alternate captain for the last six seasons, led all Capitals defensemen in scoring during the 2024-25 campaign with 51 points (5g, 46a) in 79 games and finished 22nd in the NHL in time on ice per game (23:34). The 35-year-old rearguard finished 16th overall in Norris Trophy voting for the league’s best defenseman.

In his 16th season with the Capitals, Carlson also posted some of the best play-driving results of his career. With Carlson on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals saw 54.1 percent of shot attempts, 54.2 percent of expected goals, 54 percent of scoring chances, and 53.3 percent of high-danger chances during his ice time. The club scored 65 goals during his minutes, the most of any defender on the team.

Carlson is already the Capitals’ all-time leader among defenseman in games played (1,088), goals (156), assists (569), and points (725). He is also just 19 points shy of leaping over Mathieu Schneider (743) to become the fifth-highest scoring American defender in NHL history. He became only the 31st NHL defenseman to record 700 career points last January.

According to @AFPAnalytics, a Carlson extension is expected to cost approximately $6.9 million for three years. The current highest-paid defender on the Capitals is Jakob Chychrun, after the 27-year-old signed an eight-year, $72 million ($9 million AAV) contract extension last March.

The Capitals are currently projected to have $36.5 million in cap space next offseason. Carlson’s long-time running mate, captain Alex Ovechkin, is also heading into the final year of his contract with the Caps.

49ers are quietly winning big on the trade everyone mocked

John Lynch suddenly looks like a genius.

 

 

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has had his fair share of misses during his time with the team. His aggressive team-building style has come back to bite him more than a few times before.

 

When he traded for Bryce Huff this offseason, many experts saw the move as his latest mistake. The former Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher had failed to make an impact in the previous season, making them eager to ship him off just one year into his contract.

But just a few months later, it looks like Lynch pulled off a genius move to keep his team in contention in the NFC.

49ers end up quietly winning Bryce Huff trade

More often than not, when an NFL pass-rusher has one productive season in the middle of an underwhelming career, they end up crashing back down to the baseline they had already established. But the importance of pressuring opposing quarterbacks still drives teams to pay up for those players, leading to massive overpays and questionable trades.

All of the evidence around Huff pointed to another example of the same story. He had one season with double-digit sacks with the New York Jets and suddenly became a hot commodity in free agency. The Eagles bit, giving him a three-year deal in free agency worth over $50 million.

After a disappointing 2024 campaign in Philadelphia, the Eagles were quick to put Huff on the trade block. The 49ers bought the dip on the edge rusher, giving up a mid-round draft pick to add him to their defensive line rotation.

After Nick Bosa's season-ending injury, the trade might be what saves the 49ers' playoff hopes. Without their superstar defensive end in the lineup, San Francisco lacks pass-rushing talent off the edge. Rookie Mykel Williams is a great run defender, but he hasn't shown the ability to consistently get after the quarterback yet.

Huff could now step into a role as the team's most lethal edge rusher and a key piece of the defense on late downs. He already has two sacks this season, nearly surpassing his total from his year in Philadelphia. He's even quietly showing improvements against the run, earning a career-high PFF run defense grade of 69 through four games.

San Francisco is now relying on the edge rusher to step into a full-time starting role. As long as he can hold down that position while Bosa recovers, the 49ers will have definitively won this trade.

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