The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a surprise move by securing defenseman John Carlson’s rights on Saturday, June 27, with just days remaining until NHL Free Agency.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions did the business in a trade deal with the Anaheim Ducks, transferring them a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and defensive prospect Kyle Masters. The Ducks acquired forward Noah Kosick as the No. 192 pick in the sixth round of the draft later on the same day at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

“Carolina has traded for John Carlson's rights,” wrote hockey reporter Elliotte Friedman in a post on his official X account to break the news just before the NHL official account on X confirmed it.

Notably, the current contract of Carlson, which is worth $64 million for eight years, was signed with the Washington Capitals on June 24, 2018. The $8 million average annual value (AAV) deal was in its last year during the 2025-26 season when he was playing for the Ducks.

With the Hurricanes acquiring the exclusive negotiating rights to Carlson, they can sign him on a contract by the end of June this year, ahead of NHL Free Agency kicking in.

If those negotiations don’t bear fruit by that time, then the 36-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1, allowing him to look for other options.

“Like Eric [Tulsky] mentioned last night, we're always trying to get better, and a move like that is no different,” said associate general manager Darren Yorke, the deputy to Eric Tulsky, while speaking to the Hurricanes website. “[We are] trying to make sure that we are always in a position to look at every opportunity to try to get better.”

After being traded from the Capitals to the Ducks just hours before the March deadline, Carlson is believed to prefer a move back to the East Coast to be closer to family.

It will be quite interesting to see if Carlson does indeed agree to sign a new contract with the Canes before he could become a UFA at the start of next month.

Meanwhile, he is carrying a remarkable resume to the Hurricanes.

John Carlson’s NHL career: A brief breakdown

Carlson was selected by the Washington Capitals as the No. 27 pick in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft. He made his debut for the Capitals on November 20, 2009, against the Montreal Canadiens before playing 17 seasons for them in a row.

He is among the best offensive defensemen in the NHL for the better part of the last two decades, ranking fifth in points among the active ones currently. He has scored 785 points (170G / 615A) in 1,159 regular-season games and 84 points (21G / 63A) in 149 Stanley Cup Playoff games, according to the Carolina Hurricanes official website.

In 2018, he won the Stanley Cup for the first and only time in his illustrious NHL career with the Capitals after beating the Vegas Golden Knights in the final in five games.

Before the Carolina Hurricanes acquired the rights to Carlson, he played 71 regular-season games in 2025-26, accumulating 60 points (14G / 46A). It included his 14 points (4G / 10A) in 16 regular-season games for the Anaheim Ducks after joining them in a trade deal with the Capitals on March 5 of this year.

He also got six assists in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Ducks before they lost to the Golden Knights in six games in the second round of the Western Conference.

Is John Carlson going to become another one of those smart acquisitions by the Carolina Hurricanes? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar