Carlson savors first All-Star selection for Capitals

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Hours before John Carlson learned on Jan. 2 that he'd been selected to play in the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, CBC, TVAS), the Washington Capitals defenseman downplayed the significance of the moment for him.

"If I do or don't get invited to it, it's not something I lose sleep over," Carlson said. "It's not something you dream of growing up as a kid. If I do get invited, I'll be happy. But if I don't, I'll use the extra rest and get ready for the rest of the season."
Perhaps Carlson was trying not to get his hopes up after he wasn't picked to play in the game last season. But the 29-year-old said he was excited when he got the official word that he'd been selected to play in the All-Star Game for the first time in his 10-season NHL career.
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"The first time is always exciting," Carlson said. "It's not something I dreamed about or aspired to be, but I think it's nice to get recognized for your work and it will be a great experience for me and something I'm looking forward to. It's nice to be a part of."
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and coach Todd Reirden will join Carlson on the Metropolitan Division team at 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, which also includes the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills on Friday (9 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, CBC, TVAS). The Capitals believe the All-Star Game call for Carlson was overdue.
"He should've been there last year, too," Holtby said. "A lot of guys should be there. It's just with the format, it kind of keeps some guys out. I don't think there's anything wrong with the format. That's just the way it is. But I'm glad he's got the opportunity. He basically forced his way in there. There's no way you could have kept him off."
Carlson, who was selected by the Capitals with the 27th pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, led the League's defensemen last season with an NHL career-high 68 points (career-high 15 goals, career-high 53 assists) and also was first among the defensemen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a career-best 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) to help the Capitals win the Cup for the first time since they entered the League in 1974.
After passing on an opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent and signing an eight-year, $64 million contract to stay with Washington on June 24, Carlson has not slowed down this season. He's fourth among defensemen with 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) in 47 games, putting him on pace to finish with a career-high 77. Playing in all situations, he's seventh in the NHL in averaging 25:19 in ice time per game.
"I think he's picked up where he left off last year and he's probably even a little better than he was," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "It's great for us. It's great for him."

Reirden, who was promoted to coach after Barry Trotz departed in a contract dispute following last season and became the New York Islanders coach, views Carlson's emergence as one of the NHL's top defenseman as the payoff of a plan they mapped out when Reirden joined the Capitals as an assistant in 2014.
Having watched Carlson when he was an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins before that, Reirden saw a talented defenseman with the potential for a lot of growth, and together they set some goals for his continued development.
"Some of the big long-term ones were to help a team with the Stanley Cup, we got that, and be the No. 1 guy that can play shutdown minutes and finish in the top 10 in scoring," Reirden said. "I didn't even think it was possible for him to lead all defensemen in scoring and he did. Top three, top five were things we talked about. … We hoped that he'd get the All-Star Game last year because I thought he had a really strong start to his season. He didn't get it, so now that was another thing on our list.
"Now that we've knocked that one off, it's to get more of those votes for the Norris."
Last season, Carlson finished fifth in the voting for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the League's top defenseman, behind winner Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators and Seth Jones of the Columbus Blue Jackets. That prompted Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom to say earlier this season that Carlson, "got robbed for the Norris."
If Carlson believes that, he doesn't let on. His laid-back personality usually makes it difficult to read his emotions.
"It definitely doesn't affect me," Carlson said of the Norris voting. "It is nice to get recognized, but when things don't fall your way it's not something I'm going to lose sleep over or change who I am to compensate for that."

When he was growing up in Colonia, New Jersey, Carlson's favorite player was defenseman Scott Stevens, who captained the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Stevens was one of the most feared hitters in the game, which set the tone for the Devils during their Cup years, but that wasn't what drew Carlson to him as a young defenseman.
"I started watching him before we could even hit," Carlson said. "He contributed everywhere and was a captain and seemed like a great leader and all that kind of stuff. He seemed like a great guy to kind of look up to."
Stevens, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007 and was selected as one the 100 Greatest NHL Players presented by Molson Canadian in 2017, never won the Norris Trophy. The closest he came was a second-place finish behind Ray Bourque in 1994.
Stevens, now an analyst for the NHL Network, believes Carlson deserves more recognition for working to become a complete defenseman, and thinks it will come after he shined on the game's biggest stage during the Stanley Cup Final last season.
"When you're on a winning team and a team wins a championship like they did, John has been good for a lot of years but, you get more recognition," Stevens said. "More people see you. That's why winning is good for everybody. He's a huge part of that team. He's their best defenseman, their best all-around defenseman, period."
But if Carlson never wins the Norris, he can look to Stevens again as an example.
"I would take a Stanley Cup or three over that, 'Stevens said. "I guess it would've been nice (to win the Norris), but I'm just really thrilled that I was fortunate enough to win three Cups. That was really special, and that's what it's about. I would've not wanted to win a Norris Trophy and not win the Stanley Cup."
In that way, Carlson and Stevens think alike. Although winning the Norris would be nice, it's not a priority.
"You play to win," Carlson said. "That's my main goal and that's my only goal. … People can do certain things different ways and stray from what the team is doing for personal success. Our [personal goals] have always been within what we do as a team, to maximize my abilities and maximize my growth and how much I can get better in certain areas."