Capitals Will 'See How Things Play Out' Before Re-Signing John Carlson, 'Nothing Imminent' On Extension Front This Summer

The Capitals blueliner has been a staple for 16 years and counting, but the team wants to balance things out and build for the future, too.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — There’s no denying the impact that John Carlson has had on the Washington Capitals, but when it comes to the future, the team has some interesting decisions to make — and plans to take the necessary time to ponder them.

General manager Chris Patrick said there’s “nothing imminent this summer” regarding an extension for Carlson, who has one year left on his deal and is eligible to re-sign on July 1, as the team looks to the future.

“It probably makes sense just to see how things play out a little bit,” Patrick said. “We’re a mature team and transitioning to a younger team.”

Carlson, 35, had five goals and 46 assists for 51 points in 79 games this season for Washington, along with a plus/minus of plus-17 while averaging 23:34 minutes a night. He continued to take on heavy minutes in the postseason, but appeared to struggle while putting up just three points in 10 playoff games.

"He's obviously a huge part of our team and had a great season, and all expectations are he's going to have another great season next year,” Patrick said.

Over the course of 16 years, Carlson has become a vocal leader in the room and has eaten a lot of minutes for the team. However, with D.C. wanting to inject more prospects into the lineup over the next few years, Patrick said the team will look to address balancing the franchise’s future with Carlson going forward, especially with Vincent Iorio and more names coming up the pipeline.

"We just want to make sure that we're putting guys in the right position to have success and that expectations line up,” Patrick said.