Capitals ink D Carlson for 8 years

The Washington Capitals re-signed John Carlson to a $64 million, eight-year contract that allows the Stanley Cup champions to keep the do-it-all defenseman.

Carlson will count $8 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season.

“John has been an exceptional and consistent player for our franchise and has blossomed into being one of the top defensemen in the NHL,” general manager Brian MacLellan said.

“Defenseman like John are a rare commodity in our League and, at 28 years of age, we feel he is just entering his prime.

“As a right-handed defenseman, John plays in all key situations and has contributed greatly to our team’s success on the special teams.”

The Capitals got the cap space necessary to re-sign Carlson by trading veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer at the draft.

Canucks

Vancouver acquired center Tanner Kero from the Chicago Blackhawks for center Michael Chaput.

Elsewhere

Calgary is considered the big winner of this year’s draft by many experts for acquiring 23-year-old forward Elias Lindholm and 21-yearold defenseman Noah Hanifin in a five-player trade with Carolina. The biggest loser seems to be Montreal, which was not able to trade captain Max Pacioretty, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, or to strike a deal for center Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo.