Ducks’ Mason McTavish Scratched, Troy Terry, John Carlson Return
Prior to puck drop tonight in Montreal, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reported that Mason McTavish is a healthy scratch, with Troy Terry returning from injury and John Carlson making his highly anticipated debut.
The center has just two points in his last 12 games, with 32 total on the year in 61 games. In a season defined by the breakout of several young stars in Anaheim, such has not been the case for McTavish. The 2021 third overall pick’s offensive output has stalled out of late, hovering around the 40-50 range, not necessarily glaring but disappointing nonetheless. This season his possession metrics at five-on-five are actually a career best at 52.2%, although the center is starting nearly 59% of his shifts in the offensive zone, a notable uptick from years past.
With his trust slipping under head coach Joel Quenneville, McTavish has lost his role down the middle, dipping below 16 minutes a night for the first time since the beginning stages of his career.
Simple resets like this happen often, and the 23-year-old is likely just in a slump for the time being, but no player making $7MM per year through 2030-31 should be spending time in the press box. After his restricted free agency dragged out into the fall, there was some speculation McTavish could be moving on. That ended in late September as the Ducks locked him up and voiced their beliefs that he would grow into a top player for the franchise.
Even if just for tonight, the Ducks feel like they have the best chance to win and take another step toward the playoffs without the 6’1″ forward in the mix. It’s a headline management would not expect back before the campaign started, but a lot has changed for the Ducks since then.
Meanwhile, Terry is a welcome addition back into the forward group not having played since February 25. The 28-year-old still ranks fifth in team scoring with 45 points in 46 games, particularly impressive considering that his counterparts have skated in as many as 20 more contests.
Finally, with Radko Gudas out as a result of a controversial five-game suspension, Carlson makes his Ducks debut, more news Anaheim fans would find hard to believe just a few months ago. The 36-year-old is debuting alongside Olen Zellweger, wearing a new uniform after 1,143 regular season games with the Capitals. Carlson had been dealing with a lower-body injury, his final game with Washington ending unceremoniously against Nashville on February 5 due to the ailment.
It’s hard to imagine McTavish will be out of the lineup for long, but he’ll need to turn the page soon to avoid any trade speculation this summer. With a top scorer back into the lineup, and an elite defensemen joining the team, there’s much reason to be excited for the weeks ahead and hopefully the center will find his groove accordingly.
Image Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Extension Notes: Tuch, Andersson, Carlson
The recent free agency class was further trimmed when the Utah Mammoth signed Nick Schmaltz to an eight-year, $64 million extension. In a new article, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun suggests that Schmaltz’s new extension could have an impact on extension negotiations for the projected top forward in the upcoming free agent class, Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres.
Negotiations have been happening for some time between Tuch and the Sabres, with many pundits indicating that Tuch is targeting a similar deal to the eight-year, $85MM extension Adrian Kempe signed with the Los Angeles Kings earlier this year. LeBrun notes that Schmaltz and Tuch have strikingly similar production this year, with Schmaltz arguably having a slight edge. LeBrun believes that Buffalo will now use Schmaltz as their preferred comparison.
Still, compared to Mason Marchment, Anthony Mantha, and Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tuch is easily the top upcoming free agent forward younger than 33, and some teams may be willing to meet $11MM per year. Depending on how rigid the Sabres want to be in negotiations, Tuch would undoubtedly be leaving a large amount of money on the table if he were not to test the free agent waters this summer.
Other extension updates:
- In the same article, LeBrun touched on the situation between the Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The Golden Knights had been connected to Andersson for a few years before acquiring him in mid-January, and many believed an extension would be signed relatively quickly. However, no new contract has been signed yet. Regardless, LeBrun indicated that the only reason an extension hasn’t been signed is that Vegas isn’t allowed to do so, yet. They only have $3.2MM projected in cap space for the summer and won’t be able to register a new deal for Andersson until they put Alex Pietrangelo‘s $8.8MM salary back on LTIR when they’re eligible to.
- Lastly, LeBrun suggested that the Anaheim Ducks had little interest in paying the price for defenseman John Carlson as a rental. LeBrun believes that Carlson, his family, and his representation will discuss the transition to Orange County over the last month of the regular season and decide if he’s willing to stay before the playoffs begin. If Carlson extends with the Ducks, it’s believed that it’ll be a two-year contract worth between $8MM and $9MM per season.
Afternoon Notes: Hutson, Ovechkin, Carlson
The Washington Capitals will be watching closely as top prospect Cole Hutson heads to the Hockey East postseason this weekend. The defenseman could head to Washington as soon as Boston University’s season ends per Chris Cerullo of RMNB. Both team and player have expressed interest in coming together soon, with Capitals general manager Chris Patrick recently mentioning that trade acquisition Timothy Liljegren could be a smart veteran partner for Hutson if he leaves college, “like [the team] hopes”.
Hutson has emerged as a star prospect since joining the Terriers last season. He scored 14 goals and 48 points in 39 games as a freshman, becoming the X-factor addition that drove Boston University to their first National Championship appearance since Jack Eichel‘s great 2014-15 season. Hutson has dwindled to 30 points in 33 games this season, on the back of a struggling Terriers offense as a whole. Those struggles will be their challenge as the playoffs roll around. If and when Hutson moves to the pros, he will rival Rasmus Sandin and Martin Fehervary for minutes on the left-side, and could be the reason one of the veterans moves to the right-side as the team tries to replace John Carlson.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Sticking in Washington, franchise great Alex Ovechkin said that his retirement decision will hinge on how his body feels in an interview with Ian Oland of RMNB. Ovechkin has scored 24 goals and 50 points in 64 games this season, keeping up a tendency for strong scoring into his age-40 season, though he’s dipped from the pace that led him to 44 goals and 73 points in 65 games of his historic 2024-25 season. Ovechkin holds the NHL’s all-time goals record, racking up 921 in 1,555 career games so far. How many he’ll add to those totals seems to be up in the air as he continues to weigh a closely-followed retirement decision.
- Speaking of Carlson, the former Capitals star is hoping to make his debut with the Anaheim Ducks at the end of their current, four-game road trip as he works back from a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Derek Lee of The Hockey News. The Ducks’ road-trip ends with a back-to-back against Ottawa and Montreal on Saturday and Sunday. Anaheim pulled off the surprise of the Trade Deadline in their acquisition of Carlson for conditional-first-round and third-round draft pick. Carlson scored 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals before the trade. He has surpassed the 50-point mark in each of the last two seasons and reached 71 points in 78 games of the 2021-22 season. He should bring a boost of offense to a veteran Ducks blue-line.
Poll: Which Deadline Day Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
The 2026 Trade Deadline was stalled before it had a chance to launch thanks to a rare December blockbuster that sent Quinn Hughes across the Western Conference. Hughes has since scored 39 points in 31 games with the Minnesota Wild, putting together an impact with his new team that no player in the league could hope to match. Through a quiet Deadline, a few moving pieces could bring enough of a boost to bolster their new team’s chances of making the playoffs or contending for the Stanley Cup.
The top candidate to make a big splash is center Nazem Kadri, who rejoins the Colorado Avalanche after averaging 27 goals and 64 points per 82 games played with the Calgary Flames, across four seasons. Kadri was a constant source of offense on a Flames deep who saw their supplies diminish as the years went on. Then again, he reached his career-high in scoring with an 87-point season in 2021-22, his final year in Colorado. Kadri earned his first Stanley Cup ring that year and now rejoins the Avalanche in the middle of their best season since. He will hold an important, middle-six role either in relief of Brock Nelson‘s second-line role or in bringing a power-punch to Colorado’s depth. Leaving behind a #1 role in Calgary could kneecap Kadri’s offense but joining a team like Colorado could be enough to bring it back up.
Another easy choice is Anaheim’s acquisition of career-Washington Capital defenseman John Carlson. The deal was finalized just after 1 AM ET on March 6th, when much of the hockey world, and Carlson himself, were asleep. In the quiet of the night, Anaheim pulled off a monumental move to bring in one of the league’s top offensive-defensemen. Even in his age-36 season, Carlson has racked up 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Capitals. He has proven to still be an effective scorer even into his sunset seasons, though got bumped out of Washington’s top-defender role by the emergence of Jakob Chychrun. Instead, he will head to the West coast to challenge Jacob Trouba for the role of top-right defense on the Pacific Division’s top team. He is currently nursing a day-to-day, lower-body injury but Carlson could really click with Anaheim’s fast-moving, hard-working offense when he steps into the lineup.
A pair of St. Louis Blues will look to do enough to join this list as they head to the Eastern Conference. Defenseman Justin Faulk was acquired by the Detroit Red Wings for an expensive package. The Red Wings will need to pipe him into a key role to justify their pricey buy. Luckily, they’re in need of a high-motor, third-string defender who can bring oomph behind the top pair of Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. Faulk stood as St. Louis’ top defenseman, and main play-driver from the blue-line, even as his overall performances began to slip. In competition with Ben Chiarot and Axel Sandin Pellikka, it should be easy for Faulk to emerge as the caterer of offense away from Detroit’s top pair.
Meanwhile, Brayden Schenn will hope for improved minutes as he joins a playoff-contending New York Islanders club. Schenn’s role in St. Louis dwindled to a support presence in his final years, usually spent platooning the center role with one of the Blues’ young prospects. He hit an offensive wall this season as a result – just 28 points in 62 games – but is only one year removed from scoring 18 goals and 50 points, with a positive plus-minus. Schenn has slowed substantially in his mid-30s, but he remains a dangerous shooter and effective playmaker. If the Islanders can help him find some pseudo-tempo, he could be a candidate for a streak of shooting luck.
Who do you think will leave the biggest mark for his new club? Use the 2025-26 In-Season Trade Tracker to see the list of Trade Deadline day moves and vote below!
Which NHL Trade Deadline Pickup Will Make The Biggest Impact?
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COL - Nazem Kadri, C 39% (338)
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ANA - John Carlson, D 25% (216)
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DET - Justin Faulk, D 17% (142)
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NYI - Brayden Schenn, C 12% (104)
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Other (Comment Below!) 7% (58)
Total votes: 858
Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports.
Pacific Notes: Granlund, Carlson, Golden Knights, Sharks
There is a growing expectation that the Anaheim Ducks will return forward Mikael Granlund to the lineup tomorrow. According to Derek Lee of The Hockey News, Granlund was a full participant at practice this morning and centered the team’s second line.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the Ducks will have a complete lineup. In a separate report from Lee, he indicated that recent acquisition John Carlson remains working his way back from a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to debut tomorrow.
At any rate, it’ll be a decent boost for Anaheim to get Granlund back into the lineup. He has been oft-injured this year, appearing in only 38 games, scoring 12 goals and 27 points. Still, the Ducks will need all the depth they can as they continue their playoff push.
Additional notes from the Pacific Division:
- Per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon provided a few updates on several key injuries to the Vegas Golden Knights. Regarding the forward corps, McCrimmon said the team only expects captain Mark Stone to miss the next few days. Additionally, the Golden Knights haven’t placed forward William Karlsson on season-ending long-term injured reserve, but will have to make it to the semifinals if they want to see him again this season. Lastly, McCrimmon added that netminder Carter Hart is still a few weeks away from returning.
- The San Jose Sharks retained their numerous pending unrestricted free agents through the deadline as their own rentals, rewarding the team’s performance so far. Speaking with Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News, General Manager Mike Grier said, “So it kind of felt like it was the best thing to do, in all fairness to them, to kind of keep the group together and see how the rest of the season goes.” Regardless, that didn’t stop teams from making calls, specifically regarding Mario Ferraro and John Klingberg.
Ducks Acquire John Carlson
A midnight blockbuster kicks off deadline day. The Ducks announced they’ve acquired two-time All-Star defenseman John Carlson from the Capitals. Washington lands a conditional first-round pick in return, plus Anaheim’s third-round pick in 2027. Anaheim will send its 2026 first-rounder if they make the playoffs this year; if not, then they have the option to send their 2027 pick instead.
Last night, it looked like adding a winger was the Ducks’ deadline priority. That may still be in play heading into sunrise on Friday, but for now, they’ve made a major splash on their blue line to load up on a veteran-heavy right side that already includes imposing shutdown pieces Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba.
They do so by acquiring a name that few believed would ever be on the move. While a pending unrestricted free agent, Carlson has been the face of Washington’s defense group for well over a decade, taking over #1 honors from the high-octane Mike Green around the time of the 2012 lockout. The 6’3″ righty may have lost a bit of a step from his days as a consensus top-10 defender in the league throughout the late 2010s, but he still finished 16th in Norris Trophy voting just last season and has put up even better boxcar stats here in 2025-26.
At age 36, Carlson hasn’t shown many signs of slowing down. He’s put up 10 goals, 36 assists and 46 points in 55 outings this year to rank 13th in the league among defenders at 0.84 points per game. It’s his best offensive showing since finishing 10th in Norris voting in 2021-22 and the fifth-best season of his 17-year career on a per-game basis. He immediately becomes Anaheim’s fourth-leading scorer this season behind their young forward triumvirate of Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Beckett Sennecke, and that’s despite having his minutes in Washington drop to #2 deployment behind dominant lefty Jakob Chychrun. The minute-muncher’s 22:52 average time on ice is his lowest figure since the 2016-17 campaign.
The Caps had hinted at a sell-off yesterday morning by sending Nic Dowd to the Golden Knights. This is a move of an entirely different caliber, essentially closing the book on a disappointing follow-up to last year’s Eastern Conference regular-season championship.
A 3-2 loss to the Mammoth on Tuesday dropped their record to 31-25-7, and after the conclusion of Thursday’s games, they’re only four points back of the Bruins for the playoff cutoff. The Blue Jackets and Senators stand between them, though, and all three clubs have two games in hand on the Caps. With their playoff chances down under 25% as a result, the Caps will continue the on-the-fly retooling mindset that’s kept them competitive following their 2018 Stanley Cup championship by selling off their older assets – as hard as it may be – to continue stocking their cupboards with futures.
Of note, there is no extension in place between Carlson and the Ducks at the time of the deal, and those talks aren’t yet scheduled to take place, per Frank Seravalli of Victory+. There’s a real chance the Ducks, looking to wrestle the Pacific Division title away from the Golden Knights for their first postseason berth since 2018, are taking on the potential Hall-of-Fame defender as a rental.
While Carlson’s reputation is that of a more one-dimensional puck-mover, his two-way game has improved drastically in the later stages of his career. He’s continued to log major shorthanded minutes in D.C. and has had spectacular possession metrics for several seasons now, including a 53.2% Corsi For share at 5-on-5 this season. That’ll fit in well with an Anaheim group that’s completely turned around its two-way play, albeit in a high-event manner, under head coach Joel Quenneville. It also means there’s a natural fit for him to slide in alongside Jackson LaCombe on the Ducks’ top unit to let Trouba and Gudas patrol the ice against lesser competition, ideally boosting the Ducks’ puck possession when LaCombe isn’t on the ice.
The Ducks, with five of their top seven scorers this season aged 25 or younger, won’t miss a first-round choice in the next two years too much. They’re still armed with an above-average prospect pool and still have a decent stable of relatively high picks, including three second-round selections in 2027 that can be packaged to move up. The Caps, who were short on depth picks this year after trading away their second and third-rounders, will now likely end up with a pair of first-round selections that they can either use or flip for NHL-ready talent today or at the draft.
It will still be incredibly jarring to see the Caps’ roster without Carlson for the first time since 2009. A first-round pick the year prior, Carlson ends his time in Washington with 166 goals, 605 assists, and 771 points in 1,143 games. All of those are franchise records for defenders – by relatively wide margins – and he ranks fifth among all skaters in franchise history in points behind Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Bäckström, Peter Bondra, and Mike Gartner.
Image courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the trade.
Capitals’ John Carlson Day-To-Day With Injury
The Washington Capitals could be missing a major piece when they return to NHL action on Wednesday. Top defenseman John Carlson sat out of the team’s Sunday practice, instead doing individual drills in a no-contact jersey, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Head coach Spencer Carbery later designated Carlson as out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, adds Silber.
Carlson sustained his injury in Washington’s February 5th win over the Nashville Predators. He left that match late in the first period, after getting tangled up with Predators’ forward Cole Smith. The Capitals had hoped that an extended break would help Carlson heal up from the injury, though it will now follow the club through their return to action.
Carlson has continue to serve as a key offensive-defenseman for the Capitals. He has scored 17 points in his last 17 games, dating back to Washington’s highest-scoring game of the season on January 5th. That streak includes the game that Carlson was injured in, thanks to a secondary assist he earned on Washington’s second goal of the game. It was Carlson’s ninth power-play assist of the season, the most of any Capitals defenseman.
In total, the 36-year-old Carlson has posted 10 goals and 36 points in 55 games this season. He is on pace for 69 points in 82 games, closer to his scoring heights from a few years back after he stuck closer to 50 points in the last two seasons. Part of that is thanks to fellow offensive-defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who has taken the weight of a number-one role off of Carlson’s shoulders. Chychrun will carry the brunt of the load in Carlson’s absence, while Declan Chisholm and Dylan McIlrath vye for the open spot at right-defense.
Capitals Have Started Extension Talks With John Carlson
Heading into the season, the Capitals weren’t planning on holding extension talks right away with their longest-tenured blueliner, John Carlson. The thought was that both sides would see how things go at the start and reassess from there.
It appears those assessments have been completed. Speaking at Friday’s press conference (video link), GM Chris Patrick indicated that he has had some discussions with Carlson and his agent about the possibility of sticking around beyond this season and that those talks will continue.
The 36-year-old has spent his entire 17-year NHL career with Washington, who drafted him 27th overall back in 2008. In his prime, he reached the 70-point mark three times, topped by a 75-point effort in 2019-20 that saw him finish as the runner-up in Norris Trophy voting. While his eight-year, $64MM contract looked expensive at the time, it’s fair to say that it has aged rather well for the Caps.
In recent years, his offensive numbers have dipped a bit but he still entered this season coming off back-to-back years of more than 50 points. Still, with Jakob Chychrun beginning the first season of his eight-year, $72MM pact, it felt like the torch was being passed and that Chychrun would take over from Carlson as the undisputed top defender.
That hasn’t entirely happened, however. While Chychrun already has 15 goals (second-most among NHL rearguards), Carlson is actually three points ahead of him with 36. Meanwhile, Carlson is still second on the team in playing time at just under 23 minutes a night and still plays a key role on both special teams units. He may not be the player he was in his prime but he’s showing that he’s still an impactful defender.
But given his age, it’s fair to wonder how much longer that will be the case. Carlson has a lot of mileage under his belt (1,269 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs with heavy usage) and it’s unlikely he will sustain playing at a top-pairing level well into his next deal. Accordingly, even with a rising cap and a rather thin list of pending unrestricted free agent defensemen, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Patrick trying to get Carlson to sign below his current price tag. This is one of those situations where adding years could get the AAV to a more reasonable amount but would also carry more risk toward the back end of the deal.
The Capitals have ample cap space heading into next summer with $36.5MM in projected room, per PuckPedia. A big chunk of that comes from Carlson and Alex Ovechkin’s expiring deals so there’s a path for Patrick to reshape his core or keep it together. While Ovechkin isn’t ready to decide on his future yet, it appears Patrick intends to keep his veteran group intact with these efforts to get Carlson extended.
Snapshots: Jarnkrok, Pettersson, Carlson
With consistent playing time being hard to come by for Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him consider other options in July when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Earlier today, a report from Aftonbladet’s Hans Abrahamsson suggested that the veteran was likely to return to the SHL next season and sign with Brynas. However, his agent, Newport’s Filip Andreason, announced (Twitter link) that there have been no discussions with any team in any league for the 2026-27 campaign. Jarnkrok has been limited to just 19 games with Toronto so far this season and has only four points, all goals. He carries a $2.1MM cap charge which has hindered their efforts to try to find him a fresh start elsewhere. He’ll get that fresh start in the summer but his plans for next season remain unsettled.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Canucks center Elias Pettersson skated on his own before practice today but didn’t take part in team drills and is unlikely to return from his upper-body injury on Thursday against Buffalo, notes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. However, he is expected to accompany the team on their upcoming five-game road trip with an eye on returning at some point on that trip. The 27-year-old has been a bit more productive relative to last season but is still underachieving offensively with six goals and 14 assists through 28 games which is still good for a share of the team lead in scoring. He joins Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger as injured centers, putting Vancouver in a tough spot when it comes to filling out their lineup.
- Capitals defenseman John Carlson has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury sustained last Tuesday. However, it appears that the games missed count won’t go any higher. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that the veteran was a full participant at practice today on the top pairing which suggests he could be cleared to suit up Thursday against Carolina. In his 17th season, all in Washington, Carlson has been quite productive so far in 2025-26, tallying six goals and 17 assists in 26 games while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game of playing time.
Capitals’ Justin Sourdif, John Carlson Out With Injury
The Washington Capitals declared forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman John Carlson as out just minutes before Wendseday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks. Sourdif was a game-time decision and missed warmups. He has a lower-body injury sustained late in Tuesday’s win over Los Angeles. Carlson took warmups but was ultimately forced out by an upper-body injury.
The Capitals returned Nic Down to the lineup in Sourdif’s absence. Dowd was activated off of injured reserve earlier in the day after missing the last eight games with a lower-body injury. He scored five points in 19 games before sustaining the injury. Chisholm has one point, two penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 10 games. He has operated as Washington’s extra defender all year, after posting 12 points and a minus-five in 66 games with the Minnesota Wild last season.
Sourdif is in the midst of a four-game scoring drought after posting four points in four games in mid-November. Even in that slump, he has earned upwards of 17 and 18 minutes of ice time in recent games. He’s beginning to carve out a prominent role in the Capitals’ bottom-six after joining the team in a summer trade that sent a second-round and sixth-round pick back to the Florida Panthers.
Even at 36, Carlson has remained a star defender for the Capitals. He has 23 points in 26 games this season, tied with Jakob Chychrun for most on the blue-line. Carlson has also recorded a plus-10, 38 blocked shots, and 59 shots on goal. He and Chychrun give Washington two strong offensive-defensemen on two different pairings – a big part of what’s earned the Capitals the fourth-most goals (91) in the NHL this season.