At the end of the 2017-18 season, John Carlson will become an unrestricted free agent. With the offensive season Carlson’s been having – he has tallied three goals in his last four games, and is tied with John Klingberg for most points by a defenseman with 61 – there’s little doubt that he has a huge payday coming in his future.

But, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic, Carlson may be on the verge of pricing himself out of the Capitals.

Brian MacLellan had the following to say about Carlson’s upcoming UFA status, and his season so far.

Via The Athletic:

“It’s tough because we have to go in and balance what we have to pay him, (Tom) Wilson and other roster decisions,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told The Athletic. “It’s going to come to a point where we have this much to spend. We really like the player, we really like the season.” MacLellan said there have been some contract conversations but this is likely an offseason decision for the Capitals, who have quietly set themselves up for another Metro division title. “I’m assuming he’s going to say yes or no and ‘I’m going to see what’s out there. If I can get $8 million somewhere else …’” MacLellan said. “I don’t know. That’s me reading the tea leaves. They haven’t come out and said that. They want to sign, I want to sign.”

Other free agents that the Capitals will need to decide on before the 2018-19 season are RFAs Tom Wilson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Travis Boyd, and Philipp Grubauer and UFAs Jay Beagle, Alex Chiasson, Jakub Jerabek and Michal Kempny.

Cap projections remain in the $78-82 million range for next season. — Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) March 21, 2018

With the salary cap predicted to rise to between $78-82 million range for next season, some tough decisions will need to be made.