The Capitals are trying to navigate next steps without one of their key leaders.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Tom Wilson had a hard time holding back tears as he reflected on what John Carlson's come to mean to him and the Washington Capitals.
As the trade deadline looms, Washington said goodbye to Carlson, the second-longest tenured member of the Capitals, less than 24 hours after parting ways with another veteran leader and beloved teammate in Nic Dowd.
"It's on the whole group to understand that today sucks, it's brutal," Wilson said. "I'm sure there's some guys that want to cry. That's the reality of it. Today you can cry, and tomorrow you got to wake up and be a big boy and go out and play hockey."
Washington sent Carlson to the Ducks in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a third-rounder. He'd spent all 17 years of his career with Washington, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played (1,143), goals (166), assists (605) and points (771) among defensemen.
With the Capitals five points out of a playoff spot, selling is understandable, but it doesn't make it any easier on the organization.
"Another really difficult morning for the entire organization, the locker room right now. It's been difficult to digest and think about John moving on," coach Spencer Carbery said.
Carbery gathered the group for a lengthy huddle and talk before practice to further discuss the move and where the team goes from here, and also took the time to reflect on what it meant to be Carlson's teammate.
"We got to be a part of (the career of) one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the game that's ever laced them up," Carbery said. "I got to coach him, and (the players) got to play on the same ice sheet... he's the best defenseman who ever played for this organization, but I don't see how you can't put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame as well."
In addition to his play and elite talent, Carlson's impact goes far beyond the ice, and that's what made it a tougher pill for his teammates to swallow.
Captain Alex Ovechkin was still in shock and called Friday the hardest day of his career, having parted ways with not only a long-time teammate, but someone he's been with for all but four years of his own remarkable journey with Washington.
"It was a shocking situation. We’re very close and it’s hard. It’s hard. But nothing I can say," Ovechkin said. "(I'll miss) Everything. We’ve been together since his Day 1 on Caps and we’re growing up together as a person, families. Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard and a sad day.”
Wearing the "A" for a number of seasons, Carlson led the Capitals blue line and helped several young players in their development, with Carbery citing how much he's worked with fellow blueliners Martin Fehervary and Rasmus Sandin, and even rising young forwards like Hendrix Lapierre, to grow their respective games.
Dylan Strome, who arrived in D.C. in 2023, acknowledged that Carlson has become one of his closest friends and someone he's looked up to and learned from.
"He’s the type of person that when he speaks, guys listen and those are hard to come by," Strome said. "So, it’s not an easy day for anyone and it’s tough. Definitely going to miss him.”
Coming in as a rookie back in 2013, Wilson said Carlson was one of the first players and leaders to take him under his wing, and called him a "North Star" that several players turn to for advice and growth in the room.
The two, along with Ovechkin, went on to eventually win a Stanley Cup together, and from there, they've built a close bond that made saying goodbye even harder.
"(He's) a guy that, like,anyone in your family, you can call him and he'll be there. Like he truly is. It's not always sunshine and rainbows and he gives people a hard time in here sometimes, but I think everybody in here knows if you call him at 3 in the morning, you need something, he's a guy that's lining up to be that guy for every single person," Wilson said. "We all see that in here, and that's what hurts. He's a guy that you just can't replace. You just don't, and that's a tough feeling."
With the Capitals five points out of playoff spot, it's understandable why they took a sellers' approach to the deadline, but it still weighs heavily on the room in D.C.
Washington now has a major void to fill in the lineup and leadership group, and at the same time, the team still has work to do and games left to go.
That said, the message from the leadership group is to "keep fighting," as Ovechkin bluntly put it.
"We’re still there. We’re still able to win games and make the playoffs. So, we just have to fight and play the game," Ovechkin said.
"We're professionals and we've got to do our job and we're not going to roll over. The trade deadline is not over, but we believe in this group," Wilson added. "I still look at our roster and I think we're a better team than a lot of teams... we'll have some closure today, and then tomorrow, we'll wake up and try and go to work for the rest of the year and play hard."