“It is, generally, in the season of prosperity that men
discover their real temper, principles, and designs.”
-- Edmund Burke
From a distance, the love of hockey and the love (or at
least tolerance) of travel intersect in the career of Washington Capitals
forward Brendan Leipsic. Let us start
with the 2012 Entry Draft. Leipsic was
taken in the third round (89th overall) by the Nashville Predators,
right between James Melindy by the Phoenix Coyotes and Ben Johnson of the New
Jersey Devils, neither of whom have yet appeared in an NHL game.
Leipsic never dressed for the Predators, traded to the
Toronto Maple Leafs in February 2015 with Olli Jokinen and a 2015 first round
draft pick for Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli. He lasted two-plus years in the Toronto
organization but dressed for only six games (in 2015-2016) before he was taken by
the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft. Leipsic played in 44 games for Vegas but did
not make it with the Golden Knights to the playoffs, traded to the Vancouver
Canucks for Phillip Holm in February 2018.
He finished the 2017-2018 season and started the 2018-2019 season in
Vancouver, appearing in 31 games before he was waived and claimed by the Los Angeles
Kings in December 2018. Leipsic appeared
in 45 games with the Kings but was not extended a qualifying offer as a
restricted free agent at the end of the 2018-2019 season. He was released by Los Angeles on June 25th,
but less than a week later he signed as an unrestricted free agent by the
Caps.
So now, having just turned 25 years old this past May,
Leipsic is with his sixth NHL organization, having played for four teams in a
total of 126 games before arriving in Washington. Unlike other Caps signings this summer,
Leipsic is on a “show me” deal, a one-year/$700,000 contract (capfriendly.com)
Odd Leipsic Fact…
Of 649 players to skate for the Portland Winterhawks of the
Western Hockey League, Brendan Leipsic is one of only ten to record 300 or more
points.
Bonus Odd Leipsic Fact…
Brendan Leipsic was the only forward in the NHL last year to
play in a total of 60 or more games, split between two clubs, and not log a single second of shorthanded ice time.
In 126 career NHL games he has logged a grand total of 30 seconds in
shorthanded ice time.
Fearless’ Take…
Hockey is not Dancing with the Stars, but if it was, Brendan
Leipsic might be the sort to try and trip his opponent in mid-routine. In 2014, he was named “most annoying prospect in hockey” by The Hockey News.
But there might be more than that here.
Despite his frequent flyer miles, he has averaged 0.38 points per game
in his brief career to date, more than 30 points per 82 games. He has averaged 23 assists per 82 games in
his career, and if you need couple of points of comparison for that, Lars Eller
had 23 assists in 81 games last season; Jakub Vrana had 23 assists in 82
games. His 0.28 assists per game over
his career are more than the departed Andre Burakovsky averaged over five
seasons with the Caps (0.25).
Cheerless’ Take…
There is something to be said for a player who is enough in
demand to have been picked up by six franchises. But in the space of barely seven years, from
his being drafted to being signed by the Caps?
That makes him something of an expendable player, and he has compiled
one of the stranger histories in that regard, having been traded (twice),
exposed and selected in an expansion draft, waived, not given a qualifying
offer as a restricted free agent, and signed as an unrestricted free agent.
Potential Milestones:
- 200 NHL games (126; he needs 74)
The Big Question… Is Brendan Leipsic merely in need of some
stability in his environment to flourish?
Brendan Leipsic has played for four franchises and did not
play more than 45 games for any of them (45 games for Los Angeles last season). It is one thing for a veteran approaching the
end of his career to parlay a series of short-term deals, trades, and the like
into extending his career. That veteran
likely has the benefit of many games of experience and a body of work and
skills well known across the league. It
would seem to be more difficult for a young player, still (hopefully) on the
climbing portion of his developmental arc, to develop a body of work and skills
having to move from organization to organization, learning new systems,
learning how to live and cope with life as a pro hockey player, and trying to
achieve some measure of stability in that existence.
In a way, Leipsic’s modest contract argues for that
stability. The Capitals have to make moves
on their roster to shed almost $1.4 million from their payroll. Moving Leipsic’s cap burden in its entirely
yields barely half of that ($700,000), and that would be the case if no cap
burden comes back in trade. Further,
Leipsic is not waiver exempt, so exposing him to a waiver claim with the
objective of assigning him to Hershey in the AHL risks losing a forward the
Caps targeted for signing in free agency.
In the end…
Leipsic will be part of a competition for spots on a
reworked bottom-six forward corps for the Caps, perhaps as a fourth liner with
Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway. At first
blush, Leipsic will add more speed and perhaps more orneriness than the fourth
line possessed last season. He has an
opportunity in Washington that he might not have had in his previous
stops. Improving the consistency and
performance of the bottom six forwards, particularly with respect to the
two-way play of the fourth line, was a top priority. Leipsic will not likely contribute much, if
anything, in penalty killing, but his offense could surprise given his career
per-game production and a chance to display his talents for a club over a whole
season. To that, add that he is on a
one-year demonstration contract, an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent
at the end of the season and looking warrant a deal that could take him close
to his 30th birthday. That
Leipsic will have this chance on perhaps the best team he has skated on could
provide the showcase to display the true nature of his ability.
Projection: 61 games, 7-17-24, minus-1
Photo: Getty Images North America
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