43 – Number of days remaining until the 2015-16 season. But it’s also…
…the number of assists earned by John Carlson in 2014-15, a career high that helped him to a 55-point season (also a career high). That ranked second among all Caps, behind only Nicklas Backstrom, and was tied with Brent Burns, Kris Letang and Mark Streit for the third-highest assist total among all NHL defensemen. 30 of Carlson’s 43 assists – and 38 of his 55 points overall – were scored at even strength, the second-best mark for blueliners behind P.K. Subban‘s 32 assists (and 39 points).
Carlson’s strong offensive season led the way for a pretty potent attack from the Caps’ blueline overall, with the team’s defensemen combining for 182 points (32 G, 150 A) – in fact, only Calgary (195) and Nashville (193) had more offense from their defense than the Caps.