Protas Says Carlson Trade Left Long Shadow In Washington

Aliaksei Protas is putting words to the kind of front-office shock that usually lingers long after the transaction call ends. RMNB reports he called the Capitals’ trade of John Carlson “very difficult” and said the aftershocks ran through the rest of the season, which tells you this was more than just another roster shuffle. In hockey, big moves are sold as necessity, but the room often spends the rest of the year trying to make peace with them.