Verbeek talks Carlson trade, Ducks' playoff push in 1-on-1 with NHL.com

Pat Verbeek wasn’t looking to bring up the subject of John Carlson’s potential availability in trade talks with the Washington Capitals, primarily because he didn’t think the veteran defenseman was in play.

The Capitals had other ideas.

So says Verbeek who, in a 1-on-1 chat with NHL.com, discussed all things Anaheim Ducks including an inside look at the surprising deal that brought Carlson to the West Coast on March 5. 

“I never mentioned the subject just because, you know, he’d been with that organization for a long time,” the Ducks general manager said. “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.”

Verbeek remembers telling the Capitals that the Ducks might be looking to shore up their defense.

“And then they brought up the name,” he said. “They asked if we’d be interested in John Carlson.”

The answer was an immediate yes, leading to the deal that landed the 36-year-old with Anaheim for a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. 

Carlson is close to returning from a lower-body injury and could make his Ducks debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TSN4, KCOP-13, Victory+), although a more realistic target is against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre Saturday or versus the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre Sunday.

Whatever the case, this much is certain: The Ducks are one of the feel-good stories of the 2025-26 season.

To that end, consider this: The Ducks (36-25-3), who have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2018, enter play Thursday in first place in the Pacific Division, three points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.  In a division that features stars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Macklin Celebrini, that’s an impressive feat.

One that Verbeek, who was named GM on Feb. 3, 2022, hopes the Ducks can springboard into postseason success.

First off, how excited did you get when the Capitals first mentioned Carlson, who’s in the final season of an eight-year, $64 million contract?

“He's a heck of a player. I played against him when I was playing for Tampa.  And he's having a heck of a year this year (46 points; 10 goals, 36 assists). I think he's one of the top defensemen in 5-on-5 production with points. And so for me, bringing someone like this in was really important for our group. And so we'll be able to slide our defensemen into different positions. And I think it’s also going to give Joel (Ducks coach Quenneville) a different matchup down this stretch here for the playoffs … hopefully into the playoffs. So just going to allow us to do different things and give us a lot of depth on defense now. The schedule has been so crazy as far as how many games we’re playing. They’re coming fast here. And so when your guys get tired, there’s a little bit of a tendency for injuries to happen. I hope we can avoid it. But if we can’t, we still have depth to kind of keep pushing through.”

The Carlson acquisition symbolized a change in philosophy for the Ducks, who in recent years have been sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline. How much does it mean to your players to see firsthand efforts of management to help them land their first postseason appearance in eight years?

“I think it's important for our group to make the playoffs. For the past three years, I’ve always been selling.  But this year, we have a lot of belief in the group. The team, the players, they believe in the group that we have. And so, we had an opportunity to add a really good player to the group. And I think that created more excitement among the players because they understand that management believes in them too. So, it’s just a snowball effect in the sense of where the confidence grows. And obviously the expectation is to make the playoffs and keep pushing forward.”

Do you have any interest in re-signing Carlson after this season?

“I think the answer is yes. But I think that, like all my other guys, you know, I've got other UFAs, I've got RFAs. I think the whole mindset is just, ‘let's just play hockey, let’s get in the playoffs,' and then we'll let all that stuff take care of itself at the appropriate time. And so all of us are focused on playing the games. All that other stuff, like I said, will take care of itself.”

Sometimes the term “all in” is overused, but you’ve definitely shown that this is the season management has stepped on the gas pedal. As noted earlier, that’s a departure from what we’ve seen from you in your first few years on the job. How difficult was it in those times to stay patient in your build until it finally got to this stage?

“I was part of a similar build when I was working for Tampa. So I understand how you know what it looks like and how long it takes. I’ve obviously been scouting for a long time. I’ve watched Chicago do it. I watched Colorado go through it. You certainly have to be patient. And you have to trust the process, in the sense that we’ve drafted some really good players. At some point you’re going to realize and get to that spot where they're ready. And at that point you try to push it or accelerate it as fast as you can. But sometimes it doesn’t quite go that way and sometimes it takes a little bit of time. My experience has always been when these players start reaching 23, that's when they take the huge step. About 23, 24, is when the young players, they’ve been around in the League a little longer and they understand.  They know the players that they're playing against, and so the game slows down for them. They're more mature off the ice. They’re more professional, they’re more business-like with their games. And so there's a lot of things that they have to learn. And it all slows down for them, but they understand the process. They understand.”

Joel has obviously put himself in the coach-of-the-year conversation with the job he’s done. You obviously expected him to have an impact when you hired him. But this much, this fast?

“Yes. Definitely. I expected exactly this.”

Why were you so confident he could get this team to the next level this quickly?

“The reason why I say that is because we're in a very similar situation or position that he was in when he took over the Chicago Blackhawks (in 2008). I kind of view our team in the same way as I do that one: a very young team with some good older players. Kind of a nice mix. He has a different way in how he allows players to play with their creativity. And you've seen some of the guys like Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish, they can play the way they feel free to play, the way they want to play, within the structure, if that makes sense.”

Finally, how much excitement is there about the team right now in the Anaheim market?

“They're great fans. And home has kind of been a friendly place for us to play. Obviously, they've been a huge part of that. And at home, I can tell you that we make it exciting, more exciting than I would like it to be, sometimes. It's just an overall good feeling for the fans and for the players.”