After trading up to select Swedish center Anton Gustafsson with the 21st-overall pick in the first round of the 2008 Draft, the Washington Capitals weren't done making moves. In order to secure another first-round pick, the Caps sent defensemen Steve Eminger and a third-round choice to the Philadelphia Flyers for their first-round selection, 27th overall.
Washington used its second first-round pick to snag defenseman John Carlson. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound Carlson played last season for Indiana of the United States Hockey League (USHL), scoring 12 goals and 43 points in 59 games. The 18-year-old blueliner was also an assistant captain for the United States at the 2007 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. The Central Scouting Bureau ranked Carlson as the 17th-best North American skater, stating he has the size, skill, and toughness to be a legitimate top-six NHL defenseman.
Carlson is seen as a project, needing at least two or three years to develop in the minor leagues. That means he won't be able to help fill the void left behind by the departure of Eminger, who the Capitals selected with the 12th-overall pick in the 2002 Draft. The 24-year-old Eminger fell out of favor last season and lost playing time with the emergence of other young blueliners like Mike Green, Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, and Jeff Schultz. In his five years with the Caps, Eminger recorded six goals, 37 assists, 43 points, 221 penalty minutes, and a minus-44 in 212 career games.
