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Washington Capitals: John Carlson is having a historically fast start

By Dave Stevenson

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals skates against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on October 04, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 04: John Carlson #74 of the Washington Capitals skates against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on October 04, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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With a historically strong start to his 2019-20 season, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is turning heads.

Before the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson was viewed as a good, but not great, defenseman. Since then, he’s done a lot to elevate his reputation around the league. Carlson had 20 points in 24 games during the 2018 postseason, helping the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.

Shortly thereafter, he signed an eight-year deal worth over $8 million a year. Since signing the deal, Carlson has made it a point to prove he was worth it. Last season, Carlson finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting after tallying a career-high 70 points. Now, he’s off to a historic start to the 2019-20 season.

The Capitals are off to a strong start to their season, as they have a 7-2-2 record through 11 games. Given who they’ve played, that’s mighty impressive. No Capitals player has been more impressive than Carlson, who enters Oct. 23 leading the NHL in points with 20 in 11 games. He’s also leading the league in assists with 15.

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Just how strong is his start? Carlson’s already in the same company as some of the greatest defensemen of all-time. In his first 11 games of the 2019-20 season, he has the second-most points any defenseman has ever had in the first 11 games of a season. Carlson trails Paul Coffey, who had 21 points at the start of the 1989-90 season, but that’s it.

Furthermore, he has seven multi-point games in the month of October. That’s already tied for the most multi-point games for a defenseman in a single October with Hall of Famer Brian Leetch. Carlson’s Capitals, by the way, still have three games left in the month.

He’s made an especially significant impact on their power play. The Capitals have scored 10 power play goals through their first 11 games. Carlson has six power play points so far. While the Capitals power play still runs through Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, he’s emerged as a serious threat. His passing has been much more accurate this season than in previous years. Carlson’s shot is a threat as well.

Carlson is playing top-pairing minutes. And he’s played most of them without his primary partner from last season, Michal Kempny. With Kempny recently returning and getting himself back into the swing of things, Carlson should continue to be efficient, even if his production dips (which it likely will).

It’s rare to see a defenseman leading the NHL in points after one month. There’s a decent chance Carlson will end October as the NHL’s point leader, as he has a three point lead over David Pastrnak and Connor McDavid. The odds are against Carlson winning the Art Ross, though. Bobby Orr is the only defenseman to lead the league in points. He did it twice, by the way.

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Carlson’s start has been extremely fun to watch. He’s playing with a ton of confidence and he has a ton of skill. Even if Carlson’s start slows down, he’s emerged as a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate.

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