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John Carlson Passes Sergei Gonchar on the Capitals’ All-Time Scoring List for Defensemen, Now Fourth All-Time

Michael Fleetwood
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Entering the 2019-20 season, Capitals defenseman and new alternate captain John Carlson looked to build upon a career-best 70-point campaign in 2018-19, for which he finished fourth in Norris Trophy voting. Through eight games, Carlson’s scorching hot start has him on top of the league scoring board and has moved him up the franchise record books.

With three points in his eighth game of the 2019-20 season, Carlson has moved into fourth place on the Capitals’ all-time scoring list for defensemen, passing Sergei Gonchar’s 416 points. Carlson tied Gonchar with his second assist of the game at the 5:07 mark of the second period on a goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Gonchar recorded his 416 points (144 goals, 272 assists) in 654 games played in a Caps sweater. Carlson, in contrast, recorded his 417 points (93 goals, 324 assists) in 696 games played with the Capitals. Drafted with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Carlson has evolved into the Caps’ top blueliner and was handsomely rewarded following the 2017-18 season with an eight-year contract worth $64 million. Carlson’s 417th point came on his third goal of the 2019-20 season and he now has 14 points in eight full games played so far in the new season.

Per the Capitals, Carlson is the first blueliner in franchise history to record at least 14 points in the first games of the season and joins only Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin as the only three Caps players to ever record at least 14 points in the first eight games of a season.

By Michael Fleetwood

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