ARLINGTON, Va. -- John Carlson 's uncertain future with the Washington Capitals hasn't dampened his enthusiasm about his 17th NHL season.

"It's awesome," the 35-year-old defenseman said. "It's truly a privilege to play this long, to do it at a high level. I feel as good as ever."

While the start of teammate Alex Ovechkin 's 21st and potentially final NHL season got a lot of attention last week, Carlson flew mostly under the radar, though like Ovechkin, he's in the final season of his contract. Being overshadowed isn't new for Carlson, who has one assist and leads the Capitals (2-1-0) by averaging 23:48 of ice time in three games this season heading into a visit from the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-0) at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, ESPN).

Unlike the undecided Ovechki

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