from Samantha Pell of The Washington Post,

... Carlson’s strong defense created offense. As his point total continues to soar — 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) after Friday night’s win— his teammates and coaches find themselves reminding reporters of Carlson’s defensive strengths. They don’t want Carlson to be typecast as an “offensive defenseman.”

“He’s not all offense; he’s not carrying the puck the entire game like some of the other guys in the league that I would call offensive,” Coach Todd Reirden said....

The label “offensive defenseman” has been thrown around for years in hockey, but in this era, what is its true definition? Do players get miffed when they are categorized as “offensive”? The answers vary.

Drew Doughty, the 2015-16 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, sees offensive defensemen as being defined in two ways. First, there are players who can skate, rush the puck often and make plays....

The mold of offensive defensemen started in the late 1960s with how Bobby Orr played the game, opening up the creativity and the freedom to jump into plays. It continued with players such as Paul Coffey and Nicklas Lidstrom.

“Teams were searching for quarterback, offensive-type defensemen that just add a lot to your team,” said Doug Wilson...

more players mentioned...