John Carlson, Washington Capitals Agree To 6-Year Extension

The Washington Capitals have reached a deal with young defender John Carlson that will keep him in a Capitals uniform for six more years.

#Caps sign dman John Carlson to six-year extension worth $23.8 million. Deal pays him $3.8 mil in 12-13 and $4 mil each of next 5 seasons.

— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) September 14, 2012

The 21-year-old, 6-foot-3 defenseman anchored the Caps defense this season, tallying 32 points and playing more shifts per game than any other player on the team. He's young and talented, and had a great playoff run for a defense that held tough to push series against the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference to seven games. It's not a bad deal for either side to keep the 2008 first-rounder in Washington at that price.

The blueliner made a name for himself as a rookie in 2010, with a trio of pivotal scores. First, he tallied a game-winner for Team USA in the finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship, his second of the game to give the squad a gold medal. He also scored a game-tying goal for the Caps in a playoff game against Montreal while also recording the winning goal to earn the Calder Cup for the Hershey Bears in the AHL.

For more on the Capitals, head over to Japers' Rink and continue to check out SB Nation DC.