Ducks GM Pat Verbeek claims Capitals brought John Carlson's name up first in trade talks, tells different story than Chris Patrick

"I never mentioned [Carlson's availability] just because, you know, he'd been with that organization for a long time. It was like a lot of our GMs calls where we discuss a lot of things and tell each other what we're trying to do to help our individual teams to improve. And then they brought up the name. They asked if we'd be interested in John Carlson."

"I kind of approached it as I'm not really going to actively shop him, but if teams come to me, I'm going to listen. As you're making phone calls around, in the week or two leading up to the deadline and the week of the deadline, if his name came up, I'd kind of say, 'Well, I mean, I'll listen if you're interested in doing something.' And Anaheim was definitely, I think, one of the teams that felt like he would fill a huge need for them."

The Anaheim Ducks completed a major trade deadline acquisition by obtaining 36-year-old defenseman John Carlson from the Washington Capitals after his 17-season career with the organization. The move proved controversial in Washington, as many believed Carlson should retire with the Capitals. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek and Capitals GM Chris Patrick provided conflicting accounts of the trade negotiations. Verbeek stated the Capitals first brought up Carlson's availability during routine GM discussions, while Patrick indicated he approached the situation by listening to offers without actively shopping the player. Patrick noted the Ducks were aggressive in pursuing the deal, recognizing Carlson would address their defensive needs.

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