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John Carlson

#74 · Defence · Tampa Bay Lightning

Born Jan 10, 1990 in Natick, Massachusetts, USA (age 36) · 6'3", 225 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 27th overall in 2008 by WSH (round 1)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2017-18

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2014-15. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Roman Josi NSH · 55 P in 81 GP Dennis Wideman CGY · 56 P in 80 GP Kris Letang PIT · 54 P in 69 GP Tyson Barrie COL · 53 P in 80 GP Mark Streit PHI · 52 P in 81 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602009-10: 6 points609-102010-11: 37 points372011-12: 32 points3211-122012-13: 22 points222013-14: 37 points3713-142014-15: 55 points552015-16: 39 points3915-162016-17: 37 points372017-18: 68 points6817-182018-19: 70 points702019-20: 75 points7519-202020-21: 44 points442021-22: 71 points7121-222022-23: 29 points292023-24: 52 points5223-242024-25: 51 points512025-26: 60 points6025-262026-27: 4 points4

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2009-10 WSH 22 1 5 6 11 8 21 29 0.27 $846K
2010-11 WSH 82 7 30 37 21 44 144 70 0.45 $846K
2011-12 WSH 82 9 23 32 -15 22 152 83 0.39 $846K
2012-13 WSH 48 6 16 22 11 18 97 59 0.46 $3.967M
2013-14 WSH 82 10 27 37 -3 22 208 64 0.45 $3.967M
2014-15 WSH 82 12 43 55 11 28 193 74 0.67 $3.967M
2015-16 WSH 56 8 31 39 16 14 124 46 0.70 $3.967M
2016-17 WSH 72 9 28 37 7 10 180 58 0.51 $3.967M
2017-18 WSH 82 15 53 68 0 32 237 47 0.83 $3.967M
2018-19 WSH 80 13 57 70 21 34 185 54 0.88 $8M
2019-20 WSH 69 15 60 75 12 26 189 55 1.09 $8M
2020-21 WSH 52 10 34 44 -5 12 128 52 0.85 $8M
2021-22 WSH 78 17 54 71 13 20 195 73 0.91 $8M
2022-23 WSH 40 9 20 29 -7 12 124 42 0.73 $8M
2023-24 WSH 82 10 42 52 -7 40 176 69 0.63 $8M
2024-25 WSH 79 5 46 51 17 22 167 49 0.65 $8M
2025-26 WSH 55 10 36 46 11 26 115 20 0.84 $8M
2025-26 ANA 16 4 10 14 -2 6 38 6 0.88
2026-27 TBL 5 2 2 4 -1 0 15 5 0.80 $8.5M
18 seasons Career 1164 172 617 789 111 396 2688 955 0.68

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2009-10 WSH 7 1 3 4 6 0 14 5 0.57
2010-11 WSH 9 2 1 3 -2 4 23 15 0.33
2011-12 WSH 14 2 3 5 -1 8 27 30 0.36
2012-13 WSH 7 0 1 1 -4 4 21 4 0.14
2014-15 WSH 14 1 5 6 3 4 41 26 0.43
2015-16 WSH 12 5 7 12 -2 4 49 24 1.00
2016-17 WSH 13 2 2 4 1 4 38 21 0.31
2017-18 WSH 24 5 15 20 11 8 80 36 0.83
2018-19 WSH 7 0 5 5 0 6 23 14 0.71
2019-20 WSH 5 0 6 6 -11 2 11 4 1.20
2020-21 WSH 5 0 2 2 -2 6 8 6 0.40
2021-22 WSH 6 1 4 5 -5 2 12 14 0.83
2023-24 WSH 4 1 1 2 -1 2 14 4 0.50
2024-25 WSH 10 1 2 3 3 2 13 10 0.30
2025-26 ANA 12 0 6 6 -5 4 25 14 0.50
15 seasons Playoffs 149 21 63 84 -9 60 399 227 0.56

2014-15 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 12 43 55 11 28 193 74 0.67 6.2 23:04

Contract

$3.967MCap hitends in 2018, then UFA
$72KCap dollars per point55 points in 82 games
$328KCap dollars per goal above replacement12.1 goals above replacement
$7.8MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3.9MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 649 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Washington Capitals on Sep 15, 2012, as a new contract: 6 years and $23.8M, beginning in 2012-13. It runs through 2017-18, with 3 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2012-13 $3.967M $3.8M $0 $3.8M
2013-14 $3.967M $4M $0 $4M
2014-15 $3.967M $4M $0 $4M
2015-16 $3.967M $4M $0 $4M
2016-17 $3.967M $4M $0 $4M
2017-18 $3.967M $4M $0 $4M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Jul 1, 2026 Tampa Bay Lightning New contract 2026-27 to 2027-28 2 $17M $8.5M
Jun 25, 2018 Washington Capitals Extension 2018-19 to 2025-26 8 $64M $8M
Sep 15, 2012 Washington Capitals New contract 2012-13 to 2017-18 6 $23.8M $3.967M
Nov 4, 2008 Washington Capitals Entry-level 2009-10 to 2011-12 signed for 2008-09, slid 3 $2.625M $846K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2014-15 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2014-15 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+3.1Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+2.0Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+0.9Even-strength defence+1.1Power play+0.5Penalty kill-0.2Penalties-0.3

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

0510152010-112013-142016-172019-202022-232025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

54.5Corsi for %308 attempts for, 257 against
+7.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
59.0Expected goals for %13.3 expected for, 9.2 against
+11.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.9Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
60.0Goals for %12 for, 8 against
100.8PDO7.9% shooting + 92.9% saves
59Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 112 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Brooks Orpik · John Carlson14220:1552.157.012-6
Mike Green · John Carlson1119:5574.484.20-0
Karl Alzner · John Carlson98:0561.168.90-0
Matt Niskanen · John Carlson54:3975.039.00-1

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
1.6Expected goalsfrom 55 unblocked attempts
-0.6Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.29 expected goals per 60 minutes86th
Shot quality 2.9% chance per attempt43rd
Finishing -0.6 goals above expected30thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 44 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.511.5Expected 1.6Goals 1

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 11, 2015 vs NYR L 2-4 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 19:18
Apr 8, 2015 vs BOS W 3-0 1 0 1 2 0 4 3 22:40
Apr 5, 2015 @ DET W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 24:34
Apr 4, 2015 @ OTT L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 20:28
Apr 2, 2015 @ MTL W 5-4 (SO) 0 3 3 0 2 1 1 26:48
Mar 31, 2015 vs CAR W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 22:31
Mar 29, 2015 @ NYR W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 1 3 20:32
Mar 28, 2015 vs NSH L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 2 23:02
Mar 26, 2015 vs NJD W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 24:11
Mar 21, 2015 @ WPG L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 21:46
Mar 19, 2015 @ MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 2 2 6 1 25:18
Mar 16, 2015 @ BUF W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 26:16
Mar 15, 2015 vs BOS W 2-0 1 0 1 1 0 4 1 21:26
Mar 13, 2015 vs DAL L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 22:42
Mar 11, 2015 vs NYR L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 25:49
Mar 7, 2015 vs BUF W 6-1 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 23:40
Mar 5, 2015 vs MIN L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 21:53
Mar 3, 2015 @ CBJ W 5-3 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 23:51
Mar 1, 2015 vs TOR W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 19:30
Feb 27, 2015 @ CAR L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 20:13
Feb 25, 2015 vs PIT L 3-4 1 1 2 -2 0 3 0 22:06
Feb 22, 2015 @ PHI L 2-3 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 19:39
Feb 21, 2015 vs NYI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 22:30
Feb 19, 2015 vs WPG W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 19:41
Feb 17, 2015 @ PIT W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 23:43
Feb 15, 2015 @ ANA W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 23:45
Feb 14, 2015 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 22:55
Feb 11, 2015 @ SJS W 5-4 (OT) 1 1 2 3 0 2 1 23:41
Feb 8, 2015 vs PHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 22:15
Feb 6, 2015 vs ANA W 3-2 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 24:31
Feb 5, 2015 @ OTT W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 23:22
Feb 3, 2015 vs LAK W 4-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 23:12
Feb 1, 2015 vs STL L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 21:08
Jan 31, 2015 @ MTL L 0-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 24:18
Jan 28, 2015 vs PIT W 4-0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 21:12
Jan 27, 2015 @ CBJ L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 19:50
Jan 20, 2015 vs EDM L 4-5 (SO) 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 25:48
Jan 17, 2015 @ DAL L 4-5 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 24:06
Jan 16, 2015 @ NSH L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 2 3 2 22:46
Jan 14, 2015 vs PHI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 24:45
Jan 12, 2015 vs COL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 24:42
Jan 10, 2015 vs DET W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 21:49
Jan 8, 2015 @ PHI L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 24:01
Jan 7, 2015 @ TOR W 6-2 0 2 2 3 0 2 1 24:13
Jan 4, 2015 vs FLA W 4-3 0 1 1 -1 2 4 2 24:25
Jan 1, 2015 vs CHI W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 2 4 1 23:01
Dec 29, 2014 @ NYI L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 24:13
Dec 27, 2014 @ PIT W 3-0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 24:37
Dec 23, 2014 @ NYR L 2-4 0 2 2 -1 0 4 1 24:21
Dec 22, 2014 vs OTT W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:27
Dec 20, 2014 @ NJD W 4-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 23:31
Dec 18, 2014 @ CBJ W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 22:14
Dec 16, 2014 @ FLA L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 24:14
Dec 13, 2014 vs TBL W 4-2 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 22:02
Dec 11, 2014 vs CBJ L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 25:07
Dec 9, 2014 @ TBL W 5-3 0 1 1 2 0 7 2 24:23
Dec 6, 2014 @ NJD W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 25:22
Dec 4, 2014 @ CAR W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 22:46
Dec 2, 2014 vs VAN L 3-4 2 1 3 3 0 2 2 22:28
Nov 29, 2014 @ TOR L 2-6 0 2 2 0 0 6 4 19:59
Nov 28, 2014 vs NYI W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 1 4 21:00
Nov 26, 2014 @ NYI L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 25:31
Nov 22, 2014 vs BUF L 1-2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 24:16
Nov 20, 2014 @ COL W 3-2 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 24:39
Nov 18, 2014 @ ARI W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 2 2 4 2 22:40
Nov 15, 2014 @ STL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 24:51
Nov 14, 2014 vs NJD L 0-1 0 0 0 -1 2 2 0 21:40
Nov 11, 2014 vs CBJ W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:58
Nov 8, 2014 vs CAR W 4-3 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 23:35
Nov 7, 2014 @ CHI W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 25:28
Nov 4, 2014 vs CGY L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 2 21:01
Nov 2, 2014 vs ARI L 5-6 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 22:46
Nov 1, 2014 @ TBL L 3-4 0 1 1 -1 0 5 1 24:13
Oct 29, 2014 vs DET L 2-4 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 22:32
Oct 26, 2014 @ VAN L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 20:54
Oct 25, 2014 @ CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 22:52
Oct 22, 2014 @ EDM L 2-3 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 25:25
Oct 18, 2014 vs FLA W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 25:43
Oct 16, 2014 vs NJD W 6-2 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 21:23
Oct 14, 2014 vs SJS L 5-6 (SO) 0 2 2 -4 0 4 1 20:37
Oct 11, 2014 @ BOS W 4-0 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 24:56
Oct 9, 2014 vs MTL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 23:22