At 35 & In The Last Year Of His Contract, John Carlson's Still Taking On Heavy, Heavy Minutes For The Capitals. How Does He Feel About It?

The Capitals defenseman discusses his role at 35 and what being a No. 1 defenseman at this point in his career with the same team means to him.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — When John Carlson’s on the ice for the Washington Capitals, he doesn’t really keep track of time — he hasn’t for a while now.

Maybe it’s because more often than not, he’s on the ice, or on the bench getting ready to go back out there. Even at 35, he’s still logging the 17th-most minutes per night, leading Washington with 24:24 TOI per game.

“Maybe I’m used to it,” Carlson shrugged nonchalantly. “Every time my number’s called, I go out there.”

In the 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carlson skated 26:10, marking the second time this year that he’s played over 26 minutes, logging significant time at 5-on-5 and on the power play and penalty kill.

At the end of the day, he’s not the one calling the shots; that’s up to the coaching staff, who still see him as a top asset in the final year of his contract.

“Once again, big minutes… he’s done a great job for us,” coach Spencer Carbery said, adding, “It’s part of John. He gets in stretches where he feels really, really comfortable with the puck and clean… what never wavers with John is his intelligence in all three zones. He’s just such an intelligent player, and knows where and what other teams are trying to do, rarely out of position. That’s where he’s able to thrive.”

For Carlson, it’s just part of the job.

“I never go into a game thinking, ‘Oh, I want to play this much.’ I think just every game is different,” Carlson said. “Obviously, always fatigue and stuff in every game for everyone, no matter how much they play. I think it’s just a shift-by-shift thing.”

Through four games, Carlson’s picked up two assists and an even plus/minus rating, while also picking up 10 blocks. He leads the team in scoring-chances for with 70 so far, and his expected goals-for percentage at all strengths is the second-most among the team’s defensemen at 63.24 behind only Jakob Chychrun.

While it’s business as usual for Carlson, he doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s a different player than he once was.

“No, not at all (the same player),” Carlson said. “ I think that’s better in a lot of respects and not as good in some respects, too.”