The Washington Capitals surprised the NHL by trading John Carlson. Are they ready to move on from some of their other veterans? Could a particular power forward be a nice fit for the Montreal Canadiens?
Most hockey fans were surprised when they woke up to see that the Washington Capitals had traded veteran blueliner John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks for a couple of picks during the night. There had been plenty of chatter around the league about the likes of Zach Whitecloud, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Connor Murphy, to name a few, but no one had been talking about Carlson, a lifelong Caps player who had played 1143 games with Washington.
As things stand, the Capitals are outside of the playoff picture, looking in with 69 points. Only four points behind the Boston Bruins, who are the second wild card team. However, Washington has already played 63 games, meaning everyone else involved in the playoff race has one of two games in hand on them, making catching up a very tall task.
This is not Washington’s first trade in the final blitz to the deadline; they also moved Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights for 23-year-old goaltender Jesper Vikman and a couple of picks. The two trades show a clear desire for the Caps to get younger. Could it be that they are on the cusp of entering a rebuild? Alexander Ovechkin’s contract expires at the end of this season, and as of February 20th, the best goal scorer in NHL history didn’t know if he wanted to sign another contract with the Caps.
If this is what’s in the cards, could the Capitals be tempted to listen to offers on other players? The Montreal Canadiens could certainly use some help up front and some grit, especially if the rumours linking Arber Xhekaj to the Calgary Flames turn out to be true. With Juraj Slafkovsky playing on the second line along Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, we’ve seen a revolving door on Nick Suzuki’s wing because the Habs had no one else who has the same profile as the big Slovak.
The Capitals do have someone who fits that bill, though; they have perhaps one of the best power forwards in the league in soon-to-be 32-year-old Tom Wilson. The winger has 49 points in 53 games this season, and at the Olympics, Wilson found himself riding shotgun with Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini. The tough guy can definitely play hockey.
Could the Caps be open to moving him? Could he be a good fit for the Canadiens? It seems obvious that for now, the answer is yes, but Wilson is not getting any younger, and he’s under contract for another four seasons with a $6.5 million cap hit. The Habs’ brass saw firsthand last season the kind of impact that he can have in a playoff series, and by now, they’re very aware that there is a gaping hole in their top six. Slafkovsky is only one man, and he cannot play on two lines.
Unfortunately, chances are that the price tag on Wilson would be way too high for the Canadiens to make that move. If Wilson were younger, the Habs could be all over him, but sacrificing young assets for a player who will help the Sainte-Flanelle for a couple of years is not the Hughes modus operandi. It’s a shame, as he could kill two birds with one stone, bringing him in, but the package he would have to sacrifice would likely be just too big.
Furthermore, the Caps traded Carlson because he was on an expiring deal, and Dowd had only one more season left on his. Wilson is in a very different position, and he very well may be the kind of leader the Caps intend to guide their young players. Still, it was an interesting thought to entertain… Wilson skating with Suzuki and Cole Caufield could have been quite the combination.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.