John Carlson Upgrades To Contact, Nearing Return For Capitals

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is one step closer to making his return from a 90MPH slapshot to the face.

Carlson upgraded to a regular sweater at Monday's practice, indicating that he is cleared for contact and is no longer under restrictions. He could return as soon as Thursday, which marks three months since he was struck by a Brenden Dillon one-time shot, which fractured Carlson's skull and severed his temporal artery.

The 33-year-old was not diagnosed with a concussion and has not dealt with headaches or any lingering symptoms. 

As he works his way back, he is ready to get back in the rhythm of playing and said the biggest adjustment will be getting his timing back. He has missed 41 games this season, and has 21 points in 30 games played so far in 2022-23. The team is 15-21-5 without him in the mix.

"I think you can’t recreate game situations, you can’t recreate real-life plays, what consequences if you don’t do this right or you don’t do that right or the length of anything," Carlson explained, adding,  "That same mental pressure that you put on yourself, that you put on everything around you, that you’re all of a sudden, the noise, everything that goes into it, is a lot of stimulation. You know, you build up a tolerance to all that and then when you come back from sitting around and skating here, it’s different kind of intensity, it’s different kind of wear on the body and the mind.”