John Carlson was announced as the Capitals’ nominee for this season’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Monday.

The trophy is awarded each year to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Carlson’s nomination was voted on by members of the local chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers Association which RMNB is not a part of.

#Caps John Carlson addressing the media after being named the Caps nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded for perseverance, dedication, and sportsmanship, as voted by the Washington chapter of the @ThePHWA. pic.twitter.com/lR3SupvpmC

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) April 10, 2023

Carlson’s nomination stems from his returning to the ice after taking a slap shot to the head in late December that fractured his skull and severed his temporal artery.

“Obviously it was really tough what he went through,” Caps head coach Peter Laviolette said after Monday’s morning skate. “That one was scary. It was concerning and dangerous. Really dangerous. You almost want to say life-threatening at times because of what happened.

“To come back from that three months later and be back out here playing games is a credit to John,” he added. “You hate to see things like that happen but it’s nice to have him back out there too.”

Carlson was asked about the honor in his own media availability in the team’s locker room.

“Just personally I think what I dealt with was difficult and all that but I think there was a lot of guys too that the story of their season was having to work through a lot of stuff,” Carlson said. “I think a lot more guys faced a lot more both in length and rehab. Mine was hard mentally but maybe not so much on the rehab aspect in terms of just waiting and stuff. It’s been a difficult time and I’m glad to be on the other side of it.”

Carlson went down with the injury on December 23 and made his return to the lineup three months to the day on March 23. The Caps’ usual number-one point contributor from the backend has put up six points (1g, 5a) in seven games since then. He has also skated a team-leading 23:41 average time on ice in those seven games.

“I’m glad I’m going through [the return] just to get it out of the way and put it to bed,” Carlson added. “I’m in a different position than a lot of other guys in terms of what they’ve been through and what they’ve put themselves through over the last few months of a grueling season. You see that kinda now where guys are hurt and that’s just the way this time of year is.”

The finalists for the trophy will be determined by a PHWA “membership-wide runoff.” The NHL awards will be given out in Nashville on June 26.

Past Capitals nominees in recent seasons include Nicklas Backstrom, Zdeno Chara, Michal Kempny, Brooks Orpik, and Devante Smith-Pelly.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB