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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 2023-24. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

MacKenzie Weegar CGY · 52 P in 82 GP Kris Letang PIT · 51 P in 82 GP Devon Toews COL · 50 P in 82 GP Drew Doughty LAK · 50 P in 82 GP Miro Heiskanen DAL · 54 P in 71 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

2023-24 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 10 42 52 -7 40 176 69 0.63 5.7 25:54

Contract

$8MCap hitends in 2026, then UFA
$154KCap dollars per point52 points in 82 games
$1.438MCap dollars per goal above replacement5.6 goals above replacement
$4.9MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$3.1MValueworth 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 718 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Washington Capitals on Jun 25, 2018, as an extension of the contract he was on: 8 years and $64M, beginning in 2018-19. It runs through 2025-26, with 2 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
2018-19 $8M $5.5M $6.5M $12M M-NTC
2019-20 $8M $5.5M $6.5M $12M M-NTC
2020-21 $8M $6M $2M $8M M-NTC
2021-22 $8M $3M $5M $8M M-NTC
2022-23 $8M $4M $2M $6M M-NTC
2023-24 $8M $4M $2M $6M M-NTC
2024-25 $8M $4M $2M $6M M-NTC
2025-26 $8M $4M $2M $6M M-NTC

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 2023-24 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.

2023-24 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+0.0Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.4Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+0.8Even-strength defence-0.5Power play-0.4Penalty kill-0.2Penalties-0.2

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.

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

53.2Corsi for %84 attempts for, 74 against
+3.7CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.8Expected goals for %3.4 expected for, 2.7 against
+4.8xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
57.1Goals for %4 for, 3 against
100.2PDO9.3% shooting + 90.9% saves
22Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
John Carlson · Martin FehĂ©rvĂ¡ry438:1741.239.52-2
John Carlson · Alexander Alexeyev414:4573.086.41-0
John Carlson · Rasmus Sandin18:3366.785.90-0
John Carlson · Lucas Johansen27:2061.571.90-0

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.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
0.9Expected goalsfrom 16 unblocked attempts
+0.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.47 expected goals per 60 minutes99th
Shot quality 5.8% chance per attempt99th
Finishing +0.1 goals above expected52ndOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 48 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.20.40.60.81Goals 1Expected 0.9

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 16, 2024 @ PHI W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 29:20
Apr 15, 2024 vs BOS W 2-0 1 0 1 2 0 4 1 29:33
Apr 13, 2024 vs TBL W 4-2 1 0 1 0 0 5 3 27:25
Apr 11, 2024 @ BUF L 2-4 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 24:54
Apr 9, 2024 @ DET W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 29:41
Apr 7, 2024 vs OTT L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 28:58
Apr 5, 2024 @ CAR L 2-4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 25:09
Apr 4, 2024 vs PIT L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 8 2 25:02
Apr 2, 2024 @ BUF L 2-6 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 23:54
Mar 30, 2024 vs BOS L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 -2 0 1 3 30:16
Mar 28, 2024 @ TOR L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 4 2 23:45
Mar 26, 2024 vs DET W 4-3 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 4 1 25:51
Mar 24, 2024 vs WPG W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 26:42
Mar 22, 2024 vs CAR W 7-6 (SO) 1 0 1 -2 0 3 1 29:57
Mar 20, 2024 vs TOR L 3-7 0 1 1 -4 2 4 0 24:29
Mar 18, 2024 @ CGY W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 24:41
Mar 16, 2024 @ VAN W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 5 1 23:28
Mar 14, 2024 @ SEA W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 25:04
Mar 13, 2024 @ EDM L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 23:49
Mar 11, 2024 @ WPG L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 3 2 22:38
Mar 9, 2024 vs CHI W 4-1 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 24:48
Mar 7, 2024 @ PIT W 6-0 0 1 1 3 0 1 1 22:30
Mar 3, 2024 vs ARI L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 4 2 1 26:25
Mar 1, 2024 vs PHI W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 24:19
Feb 27, 2024 @ DET L 3-8 0 1 1 -4 0 0 1 22:16
Feb 26, 2024 vs OTT W 6-3 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 23:53
Feb 24, 2024 @ FLA L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 2 2 4 29:21
Feb 22, 2024 @ TBL W 5-3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 29:53
Feb 20, 2024 vs NJD W 6-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 24:32
Feb 17, 2024 @ MTL W 4-3 0 0 0 -1 2 2 1 29:07
Feb 13, 2024 vs COL L 3-6 0 1 1 -2 10 2 0 28:11
Feb 11, 2024 vs VAN L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 31:00
Feb 10, 2024 @ BOS W 3-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 27:30
Feb 8, 2024 @ FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 26:19
Feb 6, 2024 vs MTL L 2-5 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 21:41
Jan 27, 2024 @ DAL L 4-5 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 24:47
Jan 24, 2024 @ COL L 2-6 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 23:22
Jan 23, 2024 @ MIN L 3-5 0 1 1 -1 0 4 0 26:41
Jan 20, 2024 @ STL L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 25:25
Jan 18, 2024 vs STL W 5-2 0 2 2 2 0 1 1 27:40
Jan 16, 2024 vs ANA W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 25:37
Jan 14, 2024 @ NYR L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 2 4 3 28:32
Jan 13, 2024 vs NYR W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 28:08
Jan 11, 2024 vs SEA L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 24:52
Jan 7, 2024 vs LAK W 4-3 1 1 2 3 0 4 0 24:16
Jan 5, 2024 vs CAR L 2-6 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 22:10
Jan 3, 2024 vs NJD L 3-6 1 0 1 -1 0 4 2 23:42
Jan 2, 2024 @ PIT W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 26:11
Dec 30, 2023 vs NSH L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 27:46
Dec 29, 2023 @ NYI L 1-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 28:06
Dec 27, 2023 @ NYR L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 21:54
Dec 23, 2023 vs TBL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 24:55
Dec 21, 2023 @ CBJ W 3-2 (OT) 0 3 3 1 0 3 0 26:10
Dec 20, 2023 vs NYI W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 24:11
Dec 17, 2023 @ CAR W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 29:29
Dec 16, 2023 @ NSH L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 25:39
Dec 14, 2023 @ PHI L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 27:23
Dec 10, 2023 @ CHI W 4-2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 23:51
Dec 9, 2023 vs NYR W 4-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 22:03
Dec 7, 2023 vs DAL L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 27:37
Dec 4, 2023 @ ARI L 0-6 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 22:49
Dec 2, 2023 @ VGK L 1-4 0 1 1 -1 4 1 0 23:08
Nov 30, 2023 @ ANA W 5-4 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 25:52
Nov 29, 2023 @ LAK W 2-1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 23:38
Nov 27, 2023 @ SJS L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 25:27
Nov 24, 2023 vs EDM L 0-5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 21:13
Nov 22, 2023 vs BUF W 4-3 (OT) 0 2 2 2 0 7 1 30:05
Nov 18, 2023 vs CBJ W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 24:40
Nov 14, 2023 vs VGK W 3-0 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 28:35
Nov 11, 2023 @ NYI W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 26:23
Nov 10, 2023 @ NJD W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 29:39
Nov 8, 2023 vs FLA L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 24:54
Nov 4, 2023 vs CBJ W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 28:30
Nov 2, 2023 vs NYI L 0-3 0 0 0 -3 0 2 0 25:46
Oct 29, 2023 vs SJS W 3-1 0 2 2 2 0 2 2 26:45
Oct 27, 2023 vs MIN W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 27:11
Oct 25, 2023 @ NJD W 6-4 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 27:59
Oct 24, 2023 vs TOR L 1-4 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 24:10
Oct 21, 2023 @ MTL L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 29:22
Oct 18, 2023 @ OTT L 1-6 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 19:05
Oct 16, 2023 vs CGY W 3-2 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 29:26
Oct 13, 2023 vs PIT L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 3 21:42