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Nicklas Backstrom
Last Year: 14-55-69, +13, 4 GWG
Career average (per-82 games): See above
Fearless’ Take: Well, the year was worth the wait, wasn’t it? There were a few Caps fans who might have thought last year, “what’s he waiting for?...what is he spending another year in Sweden for?” Well, the player that arrived last year was NHL-ready. The team brought him along slowly, starting him on the wing, instead of burdening him with the added responsibility at both ends playing center would have entailed (thanks might be owed to Glen Hanlon here). But when he moved to the pivot, and when he stepped up to the top line to stay, his year took off. From the time he potted an overtime winner in Bruce Boudreau’s coaching debut in Philadelphia through the end of the season, he was 13-47-60, +18 in 61 games. Over the last 18 games, in which the Caps went 14-4-0, Backstrom was 5-14-19, +16. That last number is not a misprint. He is not what one would necessarily call a superior passer in the same sense one would use that term for Sidney Crosby, but what he is, is a superior playmaker. He sees the play and takes (or, rather, gives to his teammates) what is available, displaying an amazing patience for a rookie. What was mentioned in advance of his arrival, but perhaps not fully appreciated until he was seen in action, was his defensive ability. Backstrom was not the rookie who shirked his responsibility in his own end. That was true in spades down the stretch.
Cheerless’ Take: scratch-scratch-scratch…hmm…well…maybe he should shoot more (he was fifth on the team, cuz…he shoots enough, just fine). OK, he needs to do better on faceoffs (his 46.3 percent success rate was better than Crosby’s 45.5 in his rookie year). Well...just stick it in yer flygplatsen.
The Peerless’ Take: It would be really hard to come up with a complaint about Backstrom’s play, and we suppose that’s really the point. He did a lot of things very well. That’s not to say he can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t improve some things, but he had the look of someone who has been at this for a while. There weren’t many situations in which he looked as if panic was an option. He did have a couple of bumps in the road – in mid-December, when he went 2-2-4, but was -6 over a four-game stetch (three of which the Caps lost), and a nine-game stretch in February in which he had seven assists (no goals), but was -7, mostly against inferior competition (Atlanta twice, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Columbus). But, he came within an eyelash of winning the rookie scoring title (finishing three points behind Patrick Kane), led all rookies in assists, was third in plus-minus, tied for second in game-winning goals, tied for the lead in even-strength scoring, and was third in power play scoring among rookies. Was it a case of being the beneficiary of Alex Ovechkin – his ability to both occupy defenders and to finish plays? Or was it a case of Backstrom being the set-up guy folks had in mind when thinking, “if Ovechkin only had a playmaker?” Either way, it is a chicken-and-the-egg question Caps fans would like to spend the next 15 years pondering.
Projected: 18-62-80, +15
Nicklas Backstrom
Last Year: 14-55-69, +13, 4 GWG
Career average (per-82 games): See above
Fearless’ Take: Well, the year was worth the wait, wasn’t it? There were a few Caps fans who might have thought last year, “what’s he waiting for?...what is he spending another year in Sweden for?” Well, the player that arrived last year was NHL-ready. The team brought him along slowly, starting him on the wing, instead of burdening him with the added responsibility at both ends playing center would have entailed (thanks might be owed to Glen Hanlon here). But when he moved to the pivot, and when he stepped up to the top line to stay, his year took off. From the time he potted an overtime winner in Bruce Boudreau’s coaching debut in Philadelphia through the end of the season, he was 13-47-60, +18 in 61 games. Over the last 18 games, in which the Caps went 14-4-0, Backstrom was 5-14-19, +16. That last number is not a misprint. He is not what one would necessarily call a superior passer in the same sense one would use that term for Sidney Crosby, but what he is, is a superior playmaker. He sees the play and takes (or, rather, gives to his teammates) what is available, displaying an amazing patience for a rookie. What was mentioned in advance of his arrival, but perhaps not fully appreciated until he was seen in action, was his defensive ability. Backstrom was not the rookie who shirked his responsibility in his own end. That was true in spades down the stretch.
Cheerless’ Take: scratch-scratch-scratch…hmm…well…maybe he should shoot more (he was fifth on the team, cuz…he shoots enough, just fine). OK, he needs to do better on faceoffs (his 46.3 percent success rate was better than Crosby’s 45.5 in his rookie year). Well...just stick it in yer flygplatsen.
The Peerless’ Take: It would be really hard to come up with a complaint about Backstrom’s play, and we suppose that’s really the point. He did a lot of things very well. That’s not to say he can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t improve some things, but he had the look of someone who has been at this for a while. There weren’t many situations in which he looked as if panic was an option. He did have a couple of bumps in the road – in mid-December, when he went 2-2-4, but was -6 over a four-game stetch (three of which the Caps lost), and a nine-game stretch in February in which he had seven assists (no goals), but was -7, mostly against inferior competition (Atlanta twice, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Columbus). But, he came within an eyelash of winning the rookie scoring title (finishing three points behind Patrick Kane), led all rookies in assists, was third in plus-minus, tied for second in game-winning goals, tied for the lead in even-strength scoring, and was third in power play scoring among rookies. Was it a case of being the beneficiary of Alex Ovechkin – his ability to both occupy defenders and to finish plays? Or was it a case of Backstrom being the set-up guy folks had in mind when thinking, “if Ovechkin only had a playmaker?” Either way, it is a chicken-and-the-egg question Caps fans would like to spend the next 15 years pondering.
Projected: 18-62-80, +15
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