Carlson’s Capitals Contract Talks Had One More Twist Before Ducks Deal

John Carlson was in the middle of contract chatter with Washington before the Ducks trade changed the script. That kind of back-and-forth usually tells you the room was still working through one last big-number question, not just checking a box. The Capitals had a moving target on their hands, and those talks carried more weight than the usual spring noise because Carlson is the kind of piece teams do not casually shuffle.