Theme: “There are no second acts in American lives.”
-- F. Scott Fitzgerald
A decade is an eternity in an athlete’s career, and much can happen – the good, the bad, the unexpected. Eric Fehr has had his share of ups and downs and unexpected turns in his career over the last decade. At this time ten years ago, Fehr was a newly minted first round draft choice of the Washington Capitals, about to embark on what would be his third season with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League. It was one in which he would finish with 50 goals in 71 games. He would follow it up with 59 goals in the 2004-2005 season with Brandon and establish himself as a potential goal-scoring winger with the Capitals.
In the 2005-2006 season Fehr spent most of his time with the
Capitals’ affiliate in the AHL, the Hershey Bears, getting a cup o’ coffee
along the way (11 games) in Washington along the way. He made himself a hero of sorts when he
scored the game-winning, series-clinching goal in the Calder Cup semi-finals
against the Portland Pirates. Hershey
would go on to win the Calder Cup.
Then, things took a turn.
A series of injuries limited Fehr to 37 games in Washington and 51 games
in Hershey over the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons. In his 37 games in Washington he could manage
only a total of three goals. He returned
in better health for the 2008-2009 season but recorded only 11 goals in 61
games in what was primarily a checking line role.
Fehr had what might have been a breakout year in 2009-2010
when he posted 21 goals in 69 games, but that would only be the high-water mark
of his career with the Caps. After
finishing the 2010-2011 season with ten goals in 52 games, he was traded to
Winnipeg for Danick Paquette and a 2012 fourth round draft choice.
That might have been the end of it, especially when Fehr
could manage only two goals in 35 games with the Jets, once again battling
injuries that stifled any momentum he could generate for his game. However, the 2012 lockout came. Fehr, like many of his NHL counterparts, took
to playing in Europe. Fehr signed on
with HPK in Finland. It served to
rejuvenate his game and his career.
Thirteen goals in 21 games was enough to persuade the Caps to offer Fehr
a contract as a free agent, a deal the player signed in January 2013 on the eve
of the new, late-starting NHL season.
Fehr recorded a respectable nine goals in 41 games, despite
little power play time (0:49/game) and primarily third line time at even
strength. What highlighted his year were
two game-winning goals, both in overtime, and both against the Boston Bruins. The first of them was nominated as a “play of
the year” by TSN Canada…
Fearless’ Take…
For the first time in what seems like a long time, Eric Fehr
has a place he can call his own that does not resemble the dog house in which
he often seemed to inhabit under former coach Bruce Boudreau. He will almost certainly start the season on
the right side of the third line. The
Fun Fehr Fact from last season is that the Caps were 8-0-0 in games in which
Fehr recorded a goal (he had two in a 4-3 win in Tampa on Valentine’s Day).
Fehr’s evolution as a hockey player has made him, if not
exactly a Selke candidate, a respectable and responsible player in his own
end. Last season, among forwards playing
in at least 20 games, Fehr was 77th of 395 forwards in goals scored
against/on ice per 60 minutes (source: behindthenet.ca). He has been consistently in that range over
the past four seasons.
And, in the little things make a difference category (even
if they are arbitrary), Fehr had the best takeaway to giveaway ratio on the
team last season (23 takeaways, 9 giveaways).
Fehr has the makeup to be a solid two-way forward for the Caps. Not, perhaps, a top-goal scorer any longer,
but a reliable 15-20 goal scorer. Not,
perhaps, a stopper on defense, but a player who will give a solid and
consistent effort in that area.
Cheerless’ Take…
Have we been here before?
He has had what looked like a breakout year once before, then had 12
goals in his next 87 games. He has come
back from injury before, only to be injured again. Last year was his first season in which he
was even on a pace for a 70-game season.
Those 15-20 goals might depend on his getting 75 or more games, given
the way the Caps look like they are going to use him. You want to take that bet, cuz?
The Big Question… Can Eric Fehr be a reliable source of
offensive support?
Put another way, is he past the oft-injured phase of his
career. Fehr has settled into a role for
the Caps, one that will likely find him getting 12-14 minutes a night (he
averaged 13:22 last season), primarily on evens, although he will get some
second unit work on both power play and penalty kill. If you look at last year’s performance of
those forwards who played in at least half of their team’s games and averaged
ice time up to a minute more or less than Fehr’s average, Fehr was the seventh
most productive goal-scoring forward among 70 players. He has the capacity to provide some punch
from the third line. The lingering question
will be whether he is on the ice often enough to do so.
In the end…
Eric Fehr has taken a long road since he was taken 18th
overall in the 2003 draft. It has not
been butterflies and unicorns. However,
his persistence was rewarded with a two-year contract extension that will pay
him $1.5 million a year for the next two seasons. Looking at capgeek.com information on
contracts, if you look at Fehr’s salary cap comparables who: a) are 25 or
older, and b) have deals starting in 2013, five players emerge: Matt Beleskey, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson,
Drew Miller, and Ryan Jones. At a
minimum Fehr compares favorably with the others in terms of his offensive
production last season and over their respective careers.
The 2013-2014 season is the next scene in Fehr’s second act
with the Washington Capitals. So far, he
has given evidence of contradicting Fitzgerald’s observation about such things
in American lives. Then again, Fehr is
Canadian.
Projection: 66 games, 14-11-25, plus-6
photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America
No comments:
Post a Comment