a Steelers-Patriots conference championship rematch.

The Washington Capitals have re-signed John Carlson to a $64 million Joe Montana Jersey Limited , eight-year contract that allows the Stanley Cup champions to keep the do-it-all defenseman.

Carlson will count $8 million against the salary cap through the 2026-27 season. General manager Brian MacLellan announced the deal Sunday.

”John has been an exceptional and consistent player for our franchise and has blossomed into being one of the top defensemen in the NHL,” MacLellan said. ”Defenseman like John are a rare commodity in our League and, at 28 years of age, we feel he is just entering his prime. As a right-handed defenseman, John plays in all key situations and has contributed greatly to our team’s success on the special teams. We are pleased for both parties to have come to an agreement.”

That’s not necessary for the 28-year-old who has made the Washington area his home and wanted to stay if there was a fit. The Capitals got the cap space necessary to re-sign Carlson by trading veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer on Friday night at the NHL draft.

Carlson outperformed his last deal that paid him just under $4 million a season and was at his best in a contract year. He led all defensemen with 68 points in the regular season and 20 in the playoffs to help Washington win the Metropolitan Division and then the Stanley Cup.

The contract makes Carlson the second-highest-paid player on the Capitals behind Alex Ovechkin.

Carlson averaged about 25 minutes a game all season, stepping up early when top-pairing defenseman Matt Niskanen missed time with injury and playing an important role on the power play and penalty kill on the Cup run.

”His value is immense,” goaltender Braden Holtby said. ”You can see that, how much he meant to our team in this run. As far as growth, I think he’s grown steadily but I think he’s been pretty good for a long time. He’s been really good for a long time. I think this year it just showed through a bit more because we just forced him to play more.”

Carlson has been a mainstay on the Capitals’ blue line since 2010-11. The 2008 first-round pick has 333 points in 608 regular-season games and 55 points in 100 playoff games.

”I’ve always thought he was one of the better defensemen that I’ve ever played with,” winger T.J. Oshie said. ”This year, he elevated that quite a bit. In my eyes, he’s got to be a top-three or top-five defenseman in the league. You see what he does- he doesn’t do a lot of things that are really flashy Cole Beasley Jersey Elite , so maybe he doesn’t get the highlight-reel things that other guys do, but defensively, he rarely ever gets beat.”

Re-signing Carlson was just the first move on MacLellan’s summer checklist. He’s attempting to re-sign trade-deadline pickup Michal Kempny before Carlson’s defense partner can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and he needs to negotiate new contracts for restricted free agent forwards Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly.

”We’re trying to sign Kempny,” MacLellan said Friday. ”We’re trying to sign Wilson as an RFA and then make some decisions after that.”

There’s also the matter of replacing Barry Trotz as coach after he resigned and joined the New York Islanders. Associate coach Todd Reirden, who was a finalist for the Flames’ head job two years ago, is the heavy front-runner, though MacLellan wanted to sit down and formally interview him this week first.

”I think you still need to go through an interview process and ask the right questions,” MacLellan said. ”I just want to clarify on what he’s thinking system-wise and how he’s going to handle certain players.”

It helps his case that Reirden coached the defenseman and had a hand in the development of Carlson, Niskanen, Kempny and Dmitry Orlov.

”The players all know him, they’re comfortable with him Anthony Miller Jersey ,” MacLellan said. ”He’ll have a good feel for personalities, how to motivate people and so forth.”

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Lonnie Walker IV has simple goals for his rookie season in the NBA.

Walker wants to work hard, do whatever Gregg Popovich asks of him, win and learn about the world outside of basketball.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Miami found the perfect landing spot with San Antonio and its veteran coach. The Spurs took Walker with the 18th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night.

”I feel like it’s just God’s message to put me in the right place with the right team,” Walker. ”It’s just time to work, time to prove everyone wrong and I know I’m in the right place at the right time to become something special.”

Walker was projected as a possible lottery selection, which is why the Spurs never worked out the 19-year-old from Reading, Pennsylvania.

”We had him ranked significantly higher,” San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford said. ”So, to see the opportunity to have Lonnie available in the draft, that was exciting.”

San Antonio’s staff did interview Walker, discovering he was a good fit for a franchise that prides itself on defense and unselfishness. Walker was forced to play point guard when injuries hit Miami. He averaged 11.5 points in his lone season with the Hurricanes while shooting 35 percent on 3-pointers.

”If Coach Popovich needs me to dive on the floor strictly Blake Martinez Packers Jersey , then I’ll strictly dive on the floor. I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to get that win sooner rather than later, hopefully receive that championship,” he said.

The Spurs drafted Chimeze Metu, a 6-foot-11 center from USC, with the 49th overall pick in the second round. The native of Nigeria averaged 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior for the Trojans.

”We added length and athleticism with both of our picks,” Buford said.

With uncertainty surrounding the future of Kawhi Leonard, who reportedly requested a trade, the Spurs opted to draft the athletic Walker and Metu. Walker will have to battle a crowded backcourt that includes Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, Patty Mills, Bryn Forbes and Brandon Paul.

”I’m ready to get after it right now,” Walker said. ”If they wanted me to work out and practice right now Dak Prescott Jersey Elite , I’d do it. I’m ready to compete, and at the end of the of the day, I want to be the best. I’m addicted to being the best. I’m obsessed with being the next great. It’s time to be a dog, and it’s just that simple I’ve got something to prove.”

The Spurs are hoping Walker can team with Murray to form a young, athletic backcourt to help counter the tandems of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Golden State and Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston.

The Spurs remain optimistic they can persuade Leonard to remain, but the superstar forward reportedly wants to leave the only franchise he has played for. Leonard played in only nine games last season while battling a right leg injury. His absence along with injuries to Tony Parker, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Kyle Anderson led to San Antonio’s worst season in two decades.

The Spurs finished seventh in the Western Conference at 47-35, snapping a streak of 18 consecutive seasons with 50 victories. San Antonio battled until the season’s final week to extend its streak of consecutive playoff appearances to 21 straight.

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