Logan Thompson personally likes John Carlson better in Washington Capitals red than Tampa Bay Lightning blue.
After all, it just "looks better," Thompson said. But in reality, it'll be odd for him and his teammates to see Carlson in a different sweater and on the opposite side of the ice.
"It's going to be tough," Thompson said. "He was a good guy to me, a good teammate, a good friend. He meant so much to this city, so he's going to come out hard, and I know are guys are going to be excited to see him. But at the end of the day, it's a game against Tampa, and that's going to be our main focus."
Saturday's tilt with the Lightning will mark the first time that Carlson will face the Capitals since he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks at last year's deadline amid the team's ongoing struggles.
For Carlson, it'll be a bittersweet reunion as he lines up against the players that he called friends for so long in the Lightning's home opener.
"As soon as the schedule came out, it didn't take long to see (the matchup). We'll see what happens, but I think at the minimum, it'll be a little bit weird," Carlson told reporters on Saturday after Tampa's morning skate.
Carlson spent 17 years with Washington, who drafted him in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft, and he remains the franchise leader in goals (166), assist (605) and points (771) among defensemen.
After having finished last season with the Ducks, Carlson returned to D.C. for a bit, and then in free agency, chose to sign a two-year contract with the Lightning.
For the new-look Capitals, seeing Carlson will obviously be an emotional moment, given the impact he had on the locker room over the years. However, the team is ultimately focused on the task at hand, leaving with two points to build on a strong start to the new campaign.
That said, the team will obviously get time to catch up with Carlson, but once the puck drops, it's all business.
"I know he's not going to take it easy on us, and we won't take it easy on him, but it'll be funny. I'm sure there will be some laughs. He's like family with a lot of guys in the room," Tom Wilson said. So a lot of years together, but at the end of the day, there's two points on the line. We want to make sure we're starting well and I think once the puck drops, it'll be all business."
