Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Capitals Mailbag: Carlson
Our next question comes from Jack from Richmond!
"How well do you think John Carlson will do this season? I keep on getting a feeling that he won’t be as productive this season. Seemed like he got a point on a high percentage of the Capitals goals last season. Is that sustainable?"
Jack, you’re absolutely right. Carlson did get a point on a very high percentage of the Washington Capitals goals last season. His individual point percentage at even strength? A cool 54.4%, which was third among defensemen who played at least 500 minutes at even strength. That’s incredibly high.
Do I think he repeats that? No. However, there are several reasons to believe that Carlson could have even more points in 2015-2016 than he had in 2014-2015. Probably the biggest reason is that Carlson will be running the Washington Capitals power play, which is the most efficient power play in the NHL. That’s at least 20 points right there, probably more.
Also, the Washington Capitals are going to score more at even strength. Naturally, that should help Carlson make up for his inevitably lower iPP at even strength. I think that Carlson’s iPP might be somewhat sustainable because Barry Trotz’s system encourages blue liners to be more aggressive. That works in Carlson’s favor.
Next: Favorite Caps