Tom Wilson said that it was a weird feeling seeing his name pop up in trade talks as he and the Washington Capitals worked toward an extension.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- In the midst of a lengthy offseason, Tom Wilson saw his name pop up and trend on social media. It was nothing new for No. 43, who's been in that situation time and time again, but this was different, as multiple reports and posts indicated that he could be on the move.
It caused some confusion and unease for Wilson, who decided to look further into the talks without completely falling down the rabbit hole.
“I think a couple of times I just texted my agent and was like, 'What’s going on?'" Wilson laughed. "But he was obviously able to talk to [general manager Brian MacLellan] and kind of reassure me that all was good. But yeah, it’s funny when that stuff starts swirling around. [Whether] people are a fan of you, people aren’t a fan of you, it all changes pretty quick from other cities’ viewpoints. but it’s all fun; it’s all passion, it’s why the sport of hockey is great."
MacLellan said that he had kept in touch regularly with Wilson's agent to affirm that the trade talks were all part of a "false narrative" being spread during the dog days of summer.
"I think it’s a little unnerving when you hear your name," MacLellan said, adding, "It looked like we went into this year [with him as a pending UFA], and [speculation] was gonna continue to happen whether we were pursuing that avenue or not. So it was important for us to get a contract signed.”
The trade talks ended when he signed a seven-year, $45.5 million contract on Thursday. The deal carries an AAV of $6.5 million and all but guarantees he will finish his career in D.C.
Still, Wilson admitted that seeing his name in trade rumors was strange, but also that seeing how fans reacted to the news was stranger.
"Weird would be a good way to put it. But that's part of it all - it's a business," Wilson said of the trade talks. "There's a lot of other teams that have passionate fans and are competitive and you build that rivalry. That's what's great about hockey. It's weird when that stuff starts happening, you try not to look at it too much, but it can be funny.
"Some of the stuff, you're only human, you can of take it in for what it's worth. It can be funny to listen to that stuff," Wilson added. "I think they know that I'm going to go out and play as hard as I can against them next year and maybe there were excited about maybe possibly having that be for their city, but they'll probably tell you not now. It is what it is... there's a lot of different options that get voiced now with social media and stuff and it can obviously get a little bit carried away, but I'm glad it didn't have to go too far before we could kind of put that stuff to bed and just get back to being a Cap."