The Washington Capitals stunned the hockey world on Thursday night by shipping off veteran defenceman John Carlson to Anaheim after the 36-year-old spent all 17 seasons of his career in the nation's capital.
Among those still reeling are long-time Capitals Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin, who classified the aftermath as the saddest day of his career.
"I was in shock mode," Ovechkin told reporters on Friday. "Me and my wife were like, 'Wow.' Just in shock."
"Today sucks. It's brutal," an emotional Wilson added. "I'm sure there are some guys that want to cry. That's the reality of it."
The Capitals are in sell-mode this season, just one year removed from winning the Metropolitan Division, sitting four points out of a playoff spot in a crowded Eastern Conference.
They traded Nic Dowd, a Capital for eight seasons, to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
Wilson, Ovechkin and Carlson won a Stanley Cup in 2018 and have made the playoffs in all but two seasons playing together.
"It's all I've known," Wilson added, per RNMB's Katie Adler. "There's certain guys in the locker room that are just a north star, a little bit.
"I never foresaw a Capitals game without John Carlson in it."
Ovechkin, 40, was evasive when asked how the trade will impact his future with the Capitals, with his contract expiring at the end of this season.
"I don't know. I'm still here so we'll see. We'll see what's going to happen. It's a hard one."
Along with Ovechkin and Wilson, Carlson will go down as one of the greatest Capitals players of all time, ranking second in franchise history in games played, third in assists, fifth in points and second in plus/minus.
This season, the stalwart blue-liner has 10 goals and 46 points in 55 games and will look to aid the Ducks as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
