Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Forwards: Jason Chimera

“Life is fits and starts, mostly fits.”

― Walker Percy

Jason Chimera’s career with the Washington Capitals has been a model of consistent inconsistency.  Up one year, down the next, in regular rhythm.  The 2014-2015 season was a “down” year in that cycle – 7-12-19, minus-1, in 77 games.  It added one more year to a profile that looks like this in terms of his per-82 game scoring rates:

• 2009-2010: 15-21-36
• 2010-2011: 10-16-26
• 2011-2012: 20-19-39
• 2012-2013: 5-19-24
• 2013-2014: 15-27-42
• 2014-2015: 7-13-20

His drop in production in 2014-2015 was not a product of minutes; his 12:56 in average ice time was 48 seconds less (about one shift) than his average over five and a half seasons with the Caps.  It was not shooting percentage.  Never a great shooter (8.7 percent over his full career), his 7.3 percent mark was not far off his average with the Caps (7.8 percent).

It was not necessarily his linemates.  In terms of those with whom he spent the most time at 5-on-5 this season, Joel Ward (41.8 percent of Chimera’s 5-on-5 ice time) and Eric Fehr (34.3 percent) were his most frequent linemates, the same pair with whom he spent most of his time in 2013-2014, although the shares were higher in 2013-2014 (81.6 percent with Ward, 37.2 percent with Fehr, numbers from stats.hockeyanalysis.com).

Shooting the puck might have been a factor in the year-to-year drop in performance this season; Chimera went from 2.04 shots per game in 2013-2014 to 1.25 per game this year, but it does not exhibit such a tidy trend over his five-plus seasons in Washington.  He recorded no shots on goal in 28 of his 77 games overall.

It was a pity he did not score more; the Caps did rather well in those instances in which he did (11-3-0).  The team also seemed to do better when he had more ice time.  In the 15 games in which he skated more than 15 minutes, the Caps were 9-4-2.

There was a persistence in his frustrating output.  Chimera recorded two points in each of his first six ten-game segments.  In five of them he recorded a goal and an assist (two assists in his third ten-game segment).  His performance ticked up a notch in the last two segments (0-4-4 and 2-1-3), and he recorded more than half of his penalty minutes (27 of 51) in those last two segments .   The penalty minutes were largely the product of a seven-game stretch in late February and early March in which Chimera recorded his three fights of the season, taking on Buffalo’s Mike Weber, Columbus’ Dalton Prout, and Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo.  For what it’s worth, the votes a hockeyfights.com had Chimera the victor in all three.  Perhaps angry Ice Cheetah is productive Ice Cheetah. 

Then there were the shots, or more precisely, the shot attempts.  Chimera ranked dead last among Capital skaters in shot attempt differential at 5-on-5 (minus-78).  He was tied for 714th among 882 skaters in the league, in fact (although Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen, at minus-618, could retire the trophy).  

Fearless’ Take: One unsung aspect of Chimera’s game is his durability.  In his five-plus seasons in Washington, he appeared in 408 of 419 games (97.4 percent), five of those 11 missed games coming this season do to “did not play, coach’s decision” criteria.

Cheerless’ Take:  Uh, yeah…about those missed games.  Sometimes, the boss and the player just do not seem to see things the same way.  It happens.

One thing that did not change was his ice time deployment.  Chimera averaged 11 seconds a night on the power play, 1:23 killing penalties.  Both were actually down from last season (0:50/1:43).

Odd Chimera Fact: That up and down thing Chimera has with scoring coincides with his penalty differential, but with a reverse effect.  In his five full seasons with the Caps his penalties drawn-to-penalties taken differential at 5-on-5 is:

• 2010-2011: plus-5
• 2011-2012: minus-1
• 2012-2013: plus-9
• 2013-2014: even
• 2014-2015: plus-8

Game to Remember: March 29th versus New York Rangers. Washington went into its March 29th contest against the New York Rangers having lost two of their previous three games and had lost both previous meetings against the Rangers in the season series.  The Caps scored early on an Alex Ovechkin goal but surrendered the lead on two goals 61 seconds part just before the end of the first period.  Washington tied it on a power play goal in the second, leaving the third period to settle matters.  Chimera broke the tie in the fifth minute with some hard work in front of Ranger goalie Cam Talbot.  Setting up at the top of the crease, he battled with Carl Hagelin for position while Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr were taking whacks at the puck from Talbot’s left.  Fehr’s backhand attempt was laying in front of Talbot when Chimera got enough of his stick on the puck to nudge it through Talbot’s legs to put the Caps ahead.  Less than three minutes later, Chimera struck again on a much prettier play, charging down the middle to take a feed from Laich, then freezing Talbot with a fake to the five-hole, pulling the puck around his left pad and in for the insurance goal in what would be a 5-2 Capitals win and his only two-goal game of the season.

Game to Forget: December 11th versus Columbus. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Caps hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets in a mid-December matchup.  They got off to a good start with an Eric Fehr power play goal less than four minutes into the game.  But the Caps could not shake loose of the visitors, allowing the Blue Jackets to tie the game twice, the last time mid-way through the third period.  The teams went to overtime where, three minutes into the session, Chimera took an interference penalty against Jack Johnson.  The Caps were on the verge of killing off the penalty, but with 18.8 seconds left, Nick Foligno one-timed a feed from Johnson past goalie Braden Holtby’s left shoulder, and the Caps lost, 4-3.  Chimera was scratched in the following game, although the story line was that room had to be made for Andre Burakovsky.  

Postseason: 3-4-7, plus-4, one game-winning goal

For Jason Chimera the playoffs were two different experiences.  In seven games at home, he was 3-3-6, plus-7.  On the road, however, he was 0-1-1, minus-3.  He was one of four Capitals to record two two-point games, one in Game 5 in the opening round series against the New York Islanders in a 5-1 win, the other in Game 6 against the New York Rangers in Round 2, a 4-3 loss.  Both games were at Verizon Center.  It was the latest in what has been a consistent record for Chimera in post season play.  In 51 career post season games with the Caps he is 11-13-24, plus-9.  His 24 points over the Caps’ last five post season appearances ranks third on the team, behind Alex Ovechkin (40) and Nicklas Backstrom (30).

In the end…

The 2014-2015 season was a difficult one for Jason Chimera.  There was the curious on-again, off-again character of his performance, this season being one of the “off-again” variety.  Then there was the tension between player and new coach.   As the coach put it…

“Me and him disagreed on a lot of things this year.  And I wouldn’t give in and he wouldn’t give in in some ways, and I think we have a lot of respect for each other, and I thought at the end of the year he had grown a lot.”

It was a season that, like his career with the Caps, progressed in fits and starts, with its good moments and bad.  Maybe the last word about it belongs to the player… “Terrible season, good ending personally.”  It fits.

Grade: C+

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Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Forwards: Andre Burakovsky

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

-- Henry David Thoreau

Last July 12th, the Washington Capitals held their annual development camp “Fan Fest,” highlighted by an intrasquad scrimmage between teams of prospects.  Among the youngsters to whom attention was being paid was an Austrian-born, Swedish-trained, Canadian junior-developed forward taken with the 23rd overall pick in the 2013 draft.

For Andre Burakovsky it was both old and new.  It was his second D-camp experience with the Caps, but it was his first meaningful test at a new position: center.  Burakovsky might have been the prospect most likely to grab a roster spot with the big club in the fall, but learning a new position, with one season of hockey in North America, and with a new coaching regime in Washington, made it an uncertain proposition.  As new head coach Barry Trotz put it…

“The plan is I’m going to watch him.  I don’t know him. I’ve got to know him. I don’t have any plan for him. For me, I don’t have any plan for anybody. You play and you earn your ice time. If Burakovsky is ready to play and I can get him quality ice time, then he’ll play. If I don’t feel I can get him quality ice time, then he’ll probably go to Hershey, that type of thing. We just have to let it play out.”  

Fast forward to training camp.  After a week of playing center at development camp and extending his education at the position with the Malmö Redhawks when he returned home after camp,  Burakovsky was going to get a longer look in the middle playing against stiffer competition.

In what was a somewhat unexpected development, Burakovsky played his way onto the parent club roster and found himself in the starting lineup for the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens at Verizon Center.  And then this happened…

Burakovsky scored his first NHL goal and the first goal for the Capitals in the 2014-2015 season.  It was a fairy tale beginning to his career (even if smudged by a 2-1 Gimmick loss to the Habs in which he failed in his trick shot attempt in the fifth and what would be final round).  He would get off to a fast start: 2-3-5 in his first four games, 3-9-12 in his first 15 games.

It would not be all unicorns and accordions, though.  After that quick start, Burakovsky went five games without a point.  Then, right after Thanksgiving, his ice time was cut back.  After averaging 14 minutes a game over his first 20 contests, he averaged barely nine minutes in his next five games.  Then he sat for three games. He returned to the lineup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 13th but skated less than nine minutes.

At that point, Burakovsky embarked on a series of assignments to and recalls from Hershey.  From December 19th until April 5th, he was sent down and recalled on five separate occasions.

On the whole, 53 games seemed like a bonus for Burakovsky overall.  It made divining trends out of his ten-game splits difficult, but he was one of only five Capitals rookies since the 2004-2005 lockout to record an average of 0.40 points per game or more (minimum: 50 games).  The others – Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov – have been or are expected to be important cogs in the Caps’ machine.  Burakovsky, who played in the fewest games in that group in his rookie season, can be thought of in the same way.

Fearless’ Take:  Road games did not faze him.  Burakovsky was 4-8-12, plus-6 in 28 home games; 5-5-10, plus-6 in 25 road games.  He was actually better on draws on the road (53.5 percent) than he was at home (37.5 percent).

Cheerless’ Take:  There are a couple of facts that look kinda “Brouwerish.”  Burakovsky skated more than 15 minutes in 16 games; the Caps were 7-7-2 in those games.  The Caps were 6-2-1 in games in which he had fewer than ten minutes of ice time.  He had points in 17 contests; the Caps were 8-6-3 in those contests.

Odd Burakovsky Fact:  That trick shot attempt that he took against Montreal on Opening Night was his only attempt of the season for the Caps.

Game to Remember: February 15th versus Anaheim.  The Caps arrived in Anaheim in mid-February having lost to the Los Angeles Kings the previous night.  They had not lost consecutive games in regulation in a month and were not looking to see that streak broken.  Barely three minutes into the second period the Caps took a 3-2 lead on a goal by Marcus Johansson.  Less than six minutes later Andre Burakovsky scored.  With Alex Ovechkin skating down the left wing side, Burakovsky filled in the middle.  With open ice ahead of him, he whacked his stick once on the ice to call for the puck, and Ovechkin, with a defender draped all over him, backhanded the puck to the rookie.  With a delayed penalty called, Burakovsky ripped a shot that beat goalie John Gibson.  After the Ducks climbed back within a goal late in the second period, Burakovsky provided the insurance.  On a play very similar to Burakovsky’s first goal, it was Ovechkin skating into the Anaheim zone with a defender on him.  When Burakovsky filled in this time, there was no Duck defender in sight.  Ovechkin led him perfectly, and Burakovsky did the rest, dekeing Gibson to the ice before sliding a backhander behind him, giving him the game-winning and insurance goals in his first two-goal game as a Capital.

Game to Forget: December 2nd versus Vancouver.  In his previous game, Burakovsky recorded the lowest ice time of any Capital – 10:39 – in a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Compared to what he would get against Vancouver in the first game of December, it was a lifetime.  He got six shifts in the first period, three in the second, and two in the third, not taking the ice over the last 8:03 of the game.  He finished the night with just 5:37 in total ice time, his lowest total of the season.  His score sheet was almost blank – no shots on goal, no shot attempts, no hits, takeaways, no giveaways, no blocked shots.  The only marks on his line were a faceoff win and two losses.

Postseason: 2-1-3, plus-2, one game-winning goal

Except for a two-game spurt, Burakovsky’s post season was unremarkable.  His highlight was a two-goal game (his second as a Capital) in Game 4 of the Caps’ second round series against the New York Rangers. Neither was cheap.  The first one came with the Rangers holding a 1-0 lead late in the second period.  He stepped up to challenge a pass up the left wing wall to Chris Kreider, then picked the puck off the Ranger’s stick.  He then spun and cut to the middle, holding the puck a split second longer than he might have to get space between Marc Staal and Dan Girardi.  Finding that space he whipped a shot past goalie Henrik Lundqvist to tie the game.  Then, just 24 seconds into the third period, he scored what would be the game-winning goal, taking a chip up the wall from Alex Ovechkin, skating in, fending off Ryan McDonagh’s attempt to cut him off, and snapping a backhander past Lundqvist.  In an otherwise dreary post season, it provide a glimpse of what might be down the road.

In the end…

On balance, it might be said that Andre Burakovsky is ahead of schedule.  He played in just 64 regular season and playoff games, but then again, he only turned 20 on February 9th.  It would not have been unreasonable to think he would have played in Hershey all season.  Even with only 53 regular season games played, Burakovsky finished in the top-30 (among 197 rookies) in goals (30th with 7), assists (20th with 13), points (20th with 22), plus-minus (7th with plus-12), and game-winning goals (14^th with 2).  This was accomplished despite deployment strategies (often on the fourth line) and with his frequent shuttling between Washington and Hershey starting about a third into the season.  Taken as a whole, there was much unexpected in Andre Burakovsky’s game this season, an excellent start to what could be a fine career.

Grade: A-

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Forwards: Troy Brouwer

“Don't confuse facts with reality.”

-- Robert Ballard

The 2013-2014 season…the 2014-2015 season.  Eighty-two games…eighty-two games.  Forty-three points…forty-three points.  For Troy Brouwer, this season looked like an instant replay (to the extent a six-month season can be “instant”).  That is not an altogether bad thing.  It is not an altogether good thing, either.

On the good side, the 82 games that Brouwer played marked the third time in four seasons with the Caps that he appeared in every game.  In fact, he has missed just one game – regular season or playoff – in his four years with the club.  The 43 points in 2014-2015 tied his career high, set last season.  His shooting percentage reached double digits (10.0) for the fourth straight season.  Brouwer’s eight power play goals was second best on the club.  His plus-11 reversed a four-year streak of finishing on the minus side of the plus-minus ledger.  He had 206 hits, second best among Capital forwards and the third straight full season with the Caps (not counting the abbreviated 2012-2013 season) in which he topped 200 hits.  Brouwer’s 5-on-5 Corsi-for percentage (50.5) was the first time he finished on the good side of 50 percent as a Capital.  His faceoff winning percentage (56.9) led all Capitals who played for the club all season and would have been fifth-best in the league, if he qualified, somewhat unusual for a winger.

Oh, and there was this, too…

There was another side to Brouwer’s season, though.  In 19 games in which he recorded a goal, the Caps were just 8-7-4.  His 5-on-5 Corsi percentage/relative was minus-0.8.  While that was not a significant drop off from his previous season (plus-0.2), being on the minus side of the ledger is not the best place for a scoring line winger to be.  His Corsi-for percentage at 5-on-5, while respectable (50.8) lagged Michael Latta (51.0), Tom Wilson (52.6), and Andre Burakovsky (54.6) among forwards with at least 200 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time.  On what was the strongest power play in the league, Brouwer had 240 scoring chances (numbers from war-on-ice.com) and scored eight goals, a conversion rate of 3.3 percent.  Compare that to Alex Ovechkin, who scored 25 power play goals with 293 scoring chances, an 8.5 percent rate.  Even Joel Ward, who played much the same position as Brouwer when deployed on the power play, had six goals on 99 scoring chances, a 6.1 percent rate.

The odd part about Brouwer’s performance, at least in the regular season, was the apparent consistency.  Despite an underlying drop-off in his performance numbers late in the season (we will get to that in a bit), his ten-game segments varied little in points, ranging from four to seven points overall.   Only once in his eight segments did he experience an on-ice minus in goal differential (all situations, numbers from war-on-ice.com).  There was, disturbingly as it turned out, the drying up of his power play scoring late in the season.  In the underlying numbers, his season breaks down into two roughly equal pieces, a plus-146 in Corsi differential (all situations) in the first four segments, a plus-69 in the last four segments.  Scoring chances followed a similar pattern – plus-86 in the first four segments, plus-29 in the last four.  Oddly enough, again, his on-ice goal differential was flipped – plus-15 in the first four segments, plus-21 in the last four.

Fearless’ Take: In his four seasons as a Capital, only defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner have played in more games (294) with the club than Troy Brouwer (293).  Only Alex Ovechkin has more goals (174 to 83).  Only Ovechkin (281), Nicklas Backstrom (249), and Marcus Johansson (159) have more points than Brouwer (152).  Only Ovechkin (78) has more power play goals than Brouwer (30).  He is tied with Joel Ward for the most shorthanded goals (3).  And, he has 771 hits to his credit.

Cheerless’ Take: Okay, now try this line, cuz… 35 games, 3-6-9, minus-5, one power play goal.  That is his postseason scoring line with the Caps.  That works out to a 7-14-21, minus-12, with two power play goals per 82 games. You guys like to say I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but that doesn’t look like a good line for a second line winger.

Odd Brouwer Fact: Troy Brouwer recorded goals in 19 regular season games with the Caps in 2014-2015.  The team had a record of only 8-7-4 in those games.  Bonus fact… Brouwer skated fewer than 15 minutes in eight games for the Caps this season; the Caps won all of them.

Game to Remember: February 3rd versus Los Angeles. Oh sure, it would be easy to say the Winter Classic for the game-winning goal in the dying seconds of regulation, but there was that game in February.  The Los Angeles Kings came to town desperately trying to get out of a rut that left them with a 3-5-5 record in the 13 games played after December 27th.  Brouwer made sure that their February would not start on a higher note.  Late in the first period, as a battle was going on for the puck in the corner to the right of goalie Jonathan Quick, Brouwer found himself all alone between the hash marks.  Evgeny Kuznetsov found him, and all Brouwer had to do was pick a side to shoot the puck.  He chose well, beating Quick to the glove side to give the Caps a 1-0 lead.  Brouwer struck again, in a manner of speaking, late in the second period.

Game to Forget: November 20th against Colorado.  It was an odd sort of game for Troy Brouwer.  He was a shooting machine, recording a season-high six shots on goal (three of them in an eight second sequence in the second period).  None of them got through, though.  It was one of only three games (out of ten) in which he recorded four or more shots on goal and did not light the lamp. He was also credited with just one hit for the evening in what would be a 3-2 win over the Avalanche.

Postseason:  0-3-3, minus-3, 33 hits (one fewer than Marcus Johansson)

The postseason for Troy Brouwer was merely an extension of a slump that began well before the regular season ended.   He did not record a goal in 14 postseason contests (the first time he went without a goal when playing in more than seven games in post season since 2008-2009).  The streak was actually 17 games in all, and Brouwer managed only three goals in his last 34 games, including the playoffs.  Despite recording more ice time on the power play than every forward except Alex Ovechkin, he managed one power play assist, a secondary helper in the Caps’ 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the opening round.

In the end…

The Caps need more out of the second line right wing position than they are getting.  Even with the tying of a career high in points this season, Troy Brouwer’s post season made for a disappointing season.  This should not be considered a surprise.   In six post seasons covering 78 games he has seven goals, more than half of them (4) coming in 19 games in the 2010 Stanley Cup run by the Chicago Blackhawks.

There was a reasonably consistent baseline to Brouwer’s performance in 2014-2015, but it was not of a difference-making sort, and there was a sour finish, what appeared to be an inability to raise his game late in the season, especially in the playoffs.  That the Caps finished 5-6 in the 11 games in which he did not record a point in the postseason suggests that just a little bit of improvement here could have been an element that pushed the Caps to another round of play.  The same might be said of a number of Caps, but when it happens to a scoring line winger, it matters.

Grade: B-

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Forwards: Jay Beagle

“The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.”

-- Jean-Paul Sartre

On New Year’s Day, a story in the Washington Post carried this headline…

“Capitals’ Jay Beagle shouldn’t share ice time with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom”

One could hardly be blunter than this with respect to assessing a player’s role with his club.  One could hardly be more correct, though.  Two coaches – Adam Oates and Barry Trotz – tried employing Beagle on the top line with the two offensive drivers, and a third – Dale Hunter – experimented with giving Beagle minutes once claimed by Ovechkin.

Square peg, meet round hole.

Whatever Jay Beagle’s virtues are as a player, and he does have virtues (we will get to that), being top-line worthy is not among them.  Beagle is a player of modest origins who has worked hard to climb into a regular spot in an NHL lineup.  It does not make him Corey Perry.

However, a curious thing happened in 2014-2015.  Jay Beagle, heretofore a grinder – a player who took mostly fourth line minutes, whose contributions were in the unseen things (faceoffs, defense, working along the edges) – became a timely contributor at the offensive end of the rink.

Tying his career high in games played for a full season (62), Beagle more than doubled his career best in goals (from four, achieved twice, to ten), almost doubled his career best in assists (from six in 2012-2013 to ten), more than doubled his career best in points (from nine in 2013-2014 to 20), recorded his first “plus” season in the NHL (plus-6), and almost doubled his career total of game-winning goals (from three to five).

And on top of that, he was a good luck charm.  If you adhere to the notion that your stars provide a dependable “baseline” of scoring, and that secondary (or, for fourth liners, “tertiary” scoring) just adds to the odds of winning, Beagle is your guy.  He recorded points in 16 of 62 games played, and the Caps had a record of 15-0-1 in those games.  Beagle was a “plus” player in 19 games, and the Caps had a record of 15-2-2.  He played in more than 12 minutes in 42 games, and the Caps were 24-11-7 in those games (9-10-1 in games in which he played 12 minutes or fewer).

Fearless’ Take: A total of 62 games, 10 goals, 10 assists, and 794 minutes played.  Jay Beagle was the only player in the NHL this season to put together than combination of more than 60 games played, fewer than 800 minutes logged, and double digits in goals and assists.  Had he qualified, Beagle would have finished seventh in the league in faceoff winning percentage, just behind Jonathan Toews (56.51 percent to 56.53 percent).  And if going to the bakery is a prerequisite if you want bread, then Beagle had his nose pressed to the display case.  His average shooting distance (23 feet) was the shortest of any Capital in 2014-2015.

Cheerless’ Take:  Let’s not make too much of that “Beagle Effect,” cuz.  He missed 20 games this season, and the Caps were 12-6-2 in those games. He shot to a career high 11.9 percent, almost four percentage points higher than his previous best season playing more than ten games (8.2 percent 41 games in 2011-2012).  His Corsi-for percent/relative at 5-on-5 was a minus-1.6 (numbers from war-on-ice.com).  Like you numbers guys like to say, one season does not make a trend.  There were parts of it to suggest the rest of it was more “outlier” than “improvement.”

Odd Beagle Fact:  Ten goals in his last 54 games of the season were as many as he compiled in his previous 183 games covering parts of five seasons, including the first eight games of this season.

Game to Remember: February 11th versus San Jose.  West coast road trips have historically been hard on the Capitals, and there has been no place harder to find success than in San Jose.  When the Caps beat the Sharks, 3-2, in a Gimmick on March 22, 2014, it was their first win in San Jose since October 30, 1993.  What is more, the Caps had not scored more than two goals in the hockey portion of the contest on the Sharks’ rink in seven consecutive games, dating back to a 5-4 loss at San Jose in March 2002.  On this night, Jay Beagle would take care of the two goals by himself. He opened the scoring late in the first period when a Brooks Orpik shot from the left point rebounded off the skate of defenseman Matt Tennyson and onto the stick of Beagle darting into the low slot.

With San Jose holding a 3-2 lead mid-way through the third period, Beagle struck again, this time taking a long lead pass from John Carlson, who fired the pass from behind the Capitals’ net, at the San Jose blue line.  He curled in from the right wing and got behind the Sharks’ defense (with the help of a linesman, who got tangled up with a San Jose defender inside the blue line), then deked goalie Antti Niemi to his stomach, sliding the puck under the goalie’s extended right pad.

The teams exchanged goals barely three minutes after Beagle’s second strike to force overtime.  In the extra session it was a case of being perhaps more lucky than good.  Joel Ward carried the puck into the San Jose end on a 3-on-2 rush.  He dropped the puck for Beagle skating down the middle, but Beagle could not gain full control.  He had enough, though, to ease the puck over to Mike Green who fired a shot saved by Niemi.  Ward was all over the rebound, though, and buried the loose puck in the back of the net to give the Caps a 5-4 win and Beagle his first three-point game in the NHL.

Game to Forget: December 2nd versus Vancouver.  The Caps spent the first two months of the season hanging around the .500 mark.  The opened December just one game to the good of .500 when the Canucks came to town.  Vancouver opened the scoring late in the first period, in part because Beagle could not quiet a bouncing puck in his own end.  Jannik Hansen took it off his stick, fed it to Bo Horvat, who relayed it to Derek Dorsett for the goal.  The teams were tied, 3-3, in the third period when the Canucks went on a power play mid-way through the frame.  Henrik Sedin went to fetch the puck in his own end and circled up ice.  As he crossed the red line he found his brother, Daniel, with a pass that eluded Beagle’s stick.  Daniel took a step in and fired a shot that beat goalie Braden Holtby over his glove to provide the final margin in a 4-3 Canucks win.  Beagle was on ice for the first and last goals, took a hooking penalty of his own, and ended the night skating a season low 6:34 in ice time.

Postseason: 1-4-5, one game-winning goal, 63.8 percent faceoff wins

It is nice that Jay Beagle continued his scoring pace in the postseason (five points in 14 games).  It is less so that he – a fourth liner – would finish sixth in points among Capital forwards in the playoffs.  What he was not able to do was sustain his shooting touch.  One goal on 24 shots – a 4.2 percent shooting rate – was a coming back to earth of sorts.  He was hardly alone, though, since the Caps as a team shot just 6.3 percent for the post season.

In the end…

For a player who took the road Jay Beagle traveled to get to the NHL (undrafted, free agent signing, not seeing his first NHL action until age 23, appearing in more than half the team’s games for the first time in 2012-2013), a year like this qualifies as a pleasant surprise, with emphasis on the word, “pleasant.”  In the cold light of reality, it also seems likely to be a high-water mark in his career.  Ten goals on 84 shots (11.9 percent) for a player with a 6.3 percent shooting percentage coming into this season seems the sort of result not likely to be replicated.  At least that is what his history suggests.

That is not to say that Beagle is not a better player than he was when he broke into the league in 2008-2009, or even that he is not a better player than he was in the 2013-2014 season.  But sustaining what was a 13-13-26, plus-8 pace per 82 games over multiple seasons?  That might be a bit too much to hope for.  It will make for an interesting off-season for Beagle and the Caps as the player tests free agency (if he does not re-sign with the Caps before July 1st).

There will be the temptation to think Beagle is, if not the first line player other coaches tried to make him, if only for a time, then a player who could fill a third line role on a regular basis.  That might not be what works best for Beagle or the Caps.  In this season, we saw more of what he did best, giving the team honest and productive minutes in a fourth line role.

Grade: A-

Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom

"I am constant as the northern star,

Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality

There is no fellow in the firmament."

-- William Shakespeare (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 3)

Hockey is a sport of speed and violence, a riot of kinetic energy that tests the physical skills and the will of all who play it at its highest level.  For some, for the elite of the sport, it is also a game of vision, of determination and, it an odd sense, serenity.  The player who can manage the pace of the game, to bend it to his intentions, to see what others do not see several moves ahead; that player makes a difference.

Nicklas Backstrom has made a career of being such a player.  And, he has done it in an amazingly consistent way.  That consistency was applied once more in the 2014-2015 season:

His consistency applies to his durability as well.  In eight seasons, including the one just completed, Backstrom appeared in all 82 games five times and in all 48 games of the abbreviated 2012-2013 season.  Of the 45 regular season games he missed in his career, 40 of them were the product of a concussion suffered in the 2011-2012 season.  The only playoff games he missed in 72 games over seven post-seasons was the result of a suspension in the first round of the 2011-2012 playoffs.  Nicked-up Nick doesn’t take a night off. 

This season, though, while a picture of consistency, had some unpleasant colors upon closer inspection.  Looking at his ten-game segments, much of his production was front-loaded, or at least his late-season production fell off.  For example…

• Goals: 18 goals in his first six ten-game segments, none in his last two.
• Assists: 46 in his first six segments (0.77 per game), 14 in his last two segments (0.64 per game).
• Points: 64 in his first six segments (1.07 per game), 14 in his last two segments (0.64 per game).
• Power play assists: 24 in his first six segments (0.40 per game), six in his last two segments (0.27 per game).
• Shots on goal: 125 in his first six segments (2.08 per game), 28 in his last two segments (1.27 per game)

Even the underlying numbers had an unexpected trend.  Backstrom’s all-situations Corsi plus-minus had a high of plus-97 in his first ten-game segment.  It dropped in every successive ten-game segment, save one.  His scoring chances plus-minus in all situations was plus-138 over his first three segments (plus-4.60 per game), only plus-117 over his last five segments (plus-2.25 per game).

The odd part of Backstrom’s numbers might have been his even strength production.  While having a reputation as a deft power play quarterback, his 5-on-5 numbers improved substantially over the 2013-2014 season:

• Goals/60 minutes: 0.51 last season/0.62 this season
• Assists/60 minutes: 0.93/1.29
• Points/60 minutes: 1.29/1.91
• Corsi-for pct.: 49.2/54.0 (Corsi numbers from war-on-ice.com)

Conversely, his power play numbers slumped a bit, despite a slight improvement in possession:

• Goals/60 minutes: 1.20 last season/0.72 this season
• Assists/60 minutes: 7.59/7.15
• Points/60 minutes: 8.79/7.87
• Corsi-for pct.: 90.44/91.47

It made for something of an odd season for Backstrom in its detail; a bit of a falling off late in the season, better even strength numbers, somewhat off in his power play production.  It made for what was a consistent season in the context of his career, but different in its detail.

Fearless’ Take:  Is Nicklas Backstrom the best active player in the NHL never to have been named to an all-star game?  There are folks out there who seem to think he is deserving…

“If there is one guy that stands out on the list of absentees, it’s Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom."

“Alexander Ovechkin’s selection [to the all-star game] was deserved and far from a surprise, but you could argue that [Backstrom] was more deserving."

“It’s things like…not taking advantage of an easy empty-net goal, never getting mentioned in the same conversation as Henrik Sedin or Claude Giroux or even getting invited to a single All-Star Game — that make Backstrom the National Hockey League’s most underrated No. 1 centre."

…including his coach:

"It absolutely blows my mind away.  He's been our best player, I think, from start to finish. If you had to say who's been our top guy all, he's been the guy. I'm absolutely astounded that no one ever talks about him as a [Selke Trophy] guy, no one ever talks about him as an All-Star. I can't understand it.” 

Maybe teammate Joel Ward has the right idea… “I don’t know how he hasn’t gone to the All-Star Game.  That’s outrageous. We’ll have to get a petition going.” 

Cheerless’ Take: It is really hard to pick at Backstrom’s game.  There was that late-season fall off, but was that a product of injury?  As it was he led the league in assists, the fourth time in six full seasons (either not interrupted by major injury or league issues) he topped 60 assists.  There was the shooting, though.  The shots per game (1.87) tied for the second lowest of his career, and he had only those 28 shots in his last two ten-game segments.  From 2013-2014 to this season, the drop in shots on goal was the difference of five goals in his final total, based on his 2014-2015 shooting percentage.  Perhaps his being more selective made for better shooting efficiency, but that drop in shots might have had opponents leaning just a little bit heavier to Alex Ovechkin’s side of the ice, too.

Odd Backstrom Fact:  You would expect that against stiffer competition, performance numbers would be harder to come by.  With respect to Backstrom, for the 2014-2015 season consistency trumps competition:

• Non-Playoff Teams: 42 games, 9-34-43, 20 PIMS, 75 shots on goal, 0-16-16 in power play scoring
• Playoff-Eligible Teams: 40 games: 9-26-35, 78 PIMs, 78 shots on goal, 3-14-17 in power play scoring

That drop off in assists overall might speak more to his teammates’ performance at even strength than Backstrom’s.

Game to Remember: February 17^th versus Pittsburgh.  It was not Nicklas Backstrom’s biggest scoring night of the season.  In fact, he had only one point.  It was a big one, though.  Facing the Penguins in Pittsburgh with the game winding down in a tied game, the Penguins went stupid and took two penalties within 11 seconds of one another, giving the Caps a 5-on-3 power play.  What happened next was typical Backstrom.  Alex Ovechkin took a feed from Mike Green and fired a shot from the high slot that was blocked by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.  Troy Brouwer’s attempt at a put-back was turned aside into the right wing corner.  Ovechkin tracked it down and slid it ahead to Backstrom at the goal line.  His vision being what it is, he eschewed the easy, predictable return pass to Ovechkin up the wall when he spied Joel Ward on the weakside goal line extended.  His snap pass through the top of the crease found its way to the tape of Ward’s stick, and Ward buried the shot before Fleury could scramble across.  It proved to be the game-winning goal in a 3-1 Caps win, and the assist tied Backstrom with countryman Bengt Gustafsson for sixth place (and first among players of Swedish descent) on the Caps’ all-time points list (555).  Backstrom surpassed Gustafsson with a pair of points in his next game and finished the season fifth on the all-time Capitals points list with 572.

Game to Forget: March 11^th versus New York Rangers. Backstrom came into the March 11^th game against the New York Rangers on something of a run, going 0-5-5, plus-4 in his previous four games, part of a longer run in which he was 2-13-15, plus-4, over a span of 14 games.  That ended abruptly against the visiting Rangers.  The Rangers scored in the game’s ninth minute when a Kevin Hayes shot – one that caught Backstrom a stride too far away to defend – was put back by Carl Hagelin after an initial stop by goalie Braden Holtby.  After the Caps tied the game (on a power play, with Backstrom on the bench), the Rangers scored late in the first period when Tim Gleason’s attempted pass up the wall – intended for Backstrom – was interrupted by the Rangers.  At the end of the play it was J.T. Miller giving the Rangers a goal that put them ahead to stay in a 3-1 win.  Backstrom skated only 18:38 (he had only a dozen games with less ice time), did not register a point, had three giveaways, and was a minus-2, one of only nine games all season he was that far on the minus side of the ledger.

Postseason:  3-5-8, minus-3, 1-0-1 in power play scoring

Nicklas Backstrom went 14 playoff games without a power play assist?  If there is a single number that speaks to why the Capitals went to seven games in the first round and did not advance past the second round, that might be the number.  And again, it is not just Backstrom.  The lack of a power play assist speaks to the fact that there was no one finishing whatever chances the Caps had.  Alex Ovechkin had one power play goal in 14 games.  John Carlson had one.  Backstrom had one.  That’s it.  The Caps lacked opportunities on the power play (28 in 14 games), but they were well under their performance level of the regular season, and nowhere did that manifest itself more – individually and as a team – than in Backstrom’s numbers.

In the end…

For eight seasons, Nicklas Backstrom had been as constant as the Northern Star.  It might be truer of him than of any player in the NHL over that period of time.  And, his presence made a difference in the 2014-2015 season.  In 49 games in which he registered a point this season, the Caps were 29-12-8, a record that would be 49-20-13 (111 points) on an 82-game basis.  When he did not record a point, the Caps were 16-14-3, a 40-35-7 record per 82 games (87 points). 

Backstrom has become one of the most accomplished two-way centers in the game.  His contributions have been an essential part of the Capitals’ success over the past eight seasons.  It might be said of him that he, perhaps even more than Alex Ovechkin, is the Caps’ most valuable player.  With that comes the responsibility for performing at his best in the biggest games, however, and in that respect – particularly in the second round of the post season against the Rangers – his performance was lacking.  Whether that was a product of the hip condition that required surgery or not, it left him another unfulfilled line on his resume, Stanley Cup finalist.  As much as being an all-star, it is this that Backstrom – and his teammates – must address to be considered among the league’s elite.

Grade: B+

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Defensemen: Nate Schmidt

“If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance.”

-- Abraham Lincoln

For a guy who watched last summer as the Washington Capitals signed two free agent defensemen to long contracts, Nate Schmist sure smiles a lot.  Coming off a rookie season in which he finished a respectable 2-4-6, plus-4, in 29 games with the Caps, Schmidt was arguably fifth on the organization depth chart among left-handed shooting defensemen, behind Brooks Orpik, Karl Alzner, Jack Hillen, and Dmitry Orlov.

However, there he was in the Opening Night lineup, skating with Jack Hillen in place of Mike Green on the third defensive pair.  Schmidt would be in the lineup for the first 31 games of the season for the Caps.  It was probably before that when the plucky part of the story took a detour. 

Schmidt was without a point in his first ten games of the season with the Caps, but his underlying numbers were superb.  He was a plus-7 in those first ten games, his Corsi plus-minus (all situations) was plus-34, his scoring chance differential was plus-20, and the goal differential on ice was a plus-7 (numbers from war-on-ice.com).

After than ten-game burst, his numbers went sideways.  He recorded three assists, and his Corsi numbers remained respectable; his Corsi plus-minus was plus-22 over his next 21 games.  However, he went minius-5 and his scoring chance and goal differential numbers did not keep up – minus-1 in scoring chances, minus-6 in goal differential.

After opening the season in the lineup for the Caps’ first 31 games, Schmidt dressed only twice over the next nine games.  He was reassigned to Hershey in the AHL on January 10^th.  And no sooner did he return to Hershey when he suffered a fractured shoulder blade that caused him to miss 16 games. 

When his shoulder healed, Schmidt would be called up for six games in March, but he was unable to repeat his early season success with the Caps.  He went 1-0-1, minus-4, and the Caps split six decisions with Schmidt in the lineup (3-3-0).

Fearless’ Take: Schmidt hardly seemed out of place when he was in the lineup.  Of his 512 minutes of even strength ice time this season, 474 of them were spent with Mike Green, Jack Hillen, and John Carlson.  Each of those defensemen had better Corsi-for percentage numbers when pair with Schmidt then when they were paired with other defensemen (Green: 55.1 vs. 51.1; Hillen: 53.3/46.6; Carlson: 57.7/50.9; source: stats.hockeyanalysis.com).

Cheerless’ Take:  That minus-9 over his last 29 games is not a number you want to see, whatever you think of plus-minus, especially when he logged a total of just 6:37 in special teams ice time.  And, there wasn’t much of a bump – none in fact – in his offensive production from his rookie year.

Odd Schmidt Fact:  A rising tide lifts all boats.  Schmidt’s Corsi-relative at 5-on-5 did not change much (plus-3.1 last season, plus-2.9 this season), but his Corsi plus-minus at 5-on-5 went from plus-11 last season to plus-74 this season.  He was on ice for 50 more shot attempts, this season over last, and for 13 fewer shot attempts against.

Game to Remember:  March 19^th versus Minnesota.  Nate Schmidt spent three seasons with the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota where he was an all-conference player in his final season there.  March 19^th was his first visit back to Minnesota as a Washington Capital.  It was not a noteworthy night on the score sheet – Schmidt did not have a point in 11 minutes and change.  It was, however, a successful evening for Schmidt and the Caps as the visitors to Xcel Energy Center held off the Wild, 3-2.  The win allowed the Caps to catch the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division standings.

Game to Forget:  March 11^th versus New York Rangers.  In his first game in the lineup after being recalled from Hershey in March, Schidt got caught scrabling around in front of his own goaltender on his fourth shift, trying to deny Brian Boyle a shot attempt, then spinning off to look for another Ranger.  The puck came back to the player he left behind, though – Boyle – and Schmidt could only watch as Boyle snapped a rebound past goalie Braden Holtby for the game’s first goal.  In the third period, with the Caps looking for the equalizer in a 2-1 game, he was the intended target for a cross-ice pass from John Carlson, but Carlson instead put the puck on the stick of Chris Kreider.  Schmidt took off in chase of Kreider, but Kreider is one of the fastest players in the league.  Schmidt was just a step and a half behind when Kreider fired a shot that was stopped by Holtby, but put back by Martin St. Louis for the final goal in a 3-1 Rangers win.

Postseason: did not play

In the end:

After last season Nate Schmidt gave indications he could be a capable third-pair defenseman.  After this season Schmidt gave indications he could be a capable third-pair defenseman.  That is both good and bad.  His possession numbers improved, part of a team-wide improvement in those numbers.  However, his performance numbers did not improve, and he was arguably less productive in his last 29 games than he was in his first ten.  Still, he did have a knack to mesh well with whoever he played with on the blue line, as evidenced by the WOWY Corsi numbers.  It keeps Schmidt in the mix of defensemen who might compete for a third-pair or quick call-up spot for next season.  One would think he will get the chance.

Grade: B-

Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2014-2015 By the Tens -- Defensemen: Brooks Orpik

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.”

-- Henry David Thoreau

Brooks Orpik is no stranger to mixing it up in the corners of a hockey rink.  In 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Orpik earned a reputation as a defenseman who made life difficult for opponents who crossed his path or entered his territory.

Nothing prepared him for the cross-checks and the sharp elbows flung in his direction by commentators after he signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with the Washington Capitals.  The adjectives in the headlines announcing the deal said it all…

“Insane” 

“Ridiculous” 

“Crazy…silly” 

“Worst” 

You would think Orpik was a stiff who needed assistance lacing his skates.  In fairness, the contract seemed outsized in dollars and term given Orpik’s age (he was less than three months from his 34^th birthday when the deal was signed) and mileage (795 regular season and playoff games; almost 16,000 minutes of ice time in the NHL).

The new generation of hockey data analysts were not exactly enthralled with the signing, either.    If Orpik was a sensitive sort, he might have locked himself in a closet and not come out until the following spring.

However, whatever sensitivities he possesses, they applied neither to the deal, nor his on-ice potential, at least not in the eyes of theman who would coach him, Barry Trotz…

"The things that Brooks Orpik does, you can’t put a value on…he can have an effect.  And the effect is going to be…in culture and winning and attitude. And that’s what Brooks Orpik does.” 

As it turned out, if you had been paying attention to Orpik’s career in Pittsburgh (and no doubt more than a few Caps fans did), you got more of it in his first season as a Capital. 

Goal scoring?  Nope.  In 11 seasons in Pittsburgh he managed a total of 13 goals and never had more than two in any single season.  He had none for the Caps in 2014-2015. 

Assists?  This is actually a bit of an underrated part of Orpik’s game.  Sure, he played with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for much of his career in Pittsburgh, but he reached double digits in assists six times in his last seven seasons with the Penguins, the only time he failed to do so being the abbreviated 2012-2013 season.   He had 19 with the Caps in 2014-2015, his second highest career season total (23 in 2009-2010).

Hits? Since the league started compiling that statistic in 2005-2006, Orpik averaged 264 hits per 82 games with the Penguins.  He had 306 for Washington this season.

And, Orpik was something of a good luck charm.  When he did record a point, the Caps were 15-1-1, the losses coming in the last two games of the season in which Orpik recorded a point, one an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on April 4^th, and the only loss in regulation coming in the last game of the regular season.  Orpik had an assist in the last minute of the Caps’ 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers, the Caps having already clinched a playoff spot.

But about those underlying numbers.  The thinking here was that Orpik was not an especially effective player in the context of possession.  That might be derived by looking at his Corsi numbers over his last two years in Pittsburgh – an aggregate Corsi plus-minus at 5-on-5 of minus-334, a Corsi-for percentage of 45.4, a Corsi-for relative at 5-on-5 that averaged minus-6.0 over those two seasons (numbers from war-on-ice.com). 

In his first year in Washington, however, getting top minutes, his numbers improved.  He was still a “minus” player, but only minus-18.  His Corsi-for percentage was still under 50 percent, but barely (49.7).  His Corsi-for relative was still in minus territory, but his best in five seasons (minus-2.4).

Fearless’ Take:  There are some things that elude quantification that have value.  Three years at Boston College, three Frozen Fours and a national championship.  Two years with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, an appearance in the Calder Cup finals.  Ten full seasons in Pittsburgh, eight playoff appearances, two Stanley Cup finals, and a championship.  He does have a certain affinity with winning.  And there is his recognition of his place in the locker room as the mentor, which seems to have manifest itself in terms of his relationship with rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov.  In that respect, he resembles another veteran who helped shepherd a group of young guns on this team a half decade ago: Mike Knuble.

Looking at his ten-game segments, Orpik displayed a startling improvement in his overall Corsi numbers from the first four segments (minus-47, each segment a minus) to the last four (plus-29, each segment a plus).  The change in scoring chances was in the same direction, but not as stark.  What neither did was have much of an effect on goal differentials; Orpik was plus-2 in goal differential over his first four ten-game segments, minus-1 in his last four.

Cheerless’ Take:  Uh, yeah…about that Knuble reference, cuz.  If you’re squeamish, you don’t want to look at his possession numbers over his three years with the Caps.  At 5-on-5…Corsi plus-minus went from plus-155 to plus-38 to minus-153.  Corsi-for percentage went from 54.3 to 50.9 to 44.6.  Corsi-relative went from plus-1.5 to minus-0.5 to minus-4.4.  Orpik did not have a bad set of possession numbers for the Caps, but he, like Knuble before him, could see them trend that way pretty quick.  Those intangibles had better be a lot more tangible pretty soon.

Odd Orpik Fact: Although the Caps had a fine record when Orpik recorded a point this season, he did not have a goal, let alone a game-winning goal.  He has gone 781 regular season games and  15,543 minutes without recording a game-winning goal in his 12-season regular season career.  His only career game-winner was a series-clinching goal in Game 6 of the Penguins’ Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against the New York Islanders in 2013.

Game to Remember: December 27^th at Pittsburgh.  Brooks Orpik’s first game back in Pittsburgh as a Capital was a typical illustration of an Orpikian game.  He logged more than 24 minutes for the Caps, including more than four minutes killing penalties.  He did not have a shot attempt, but he did register an assist.  He finished the game with seven hits and a blocked shot.  More important, he finished a plus-3 in what would be a 3-0 win over the Penguins.

Game to Forget: October 14^th versus San Jose.  You would like to get off to a good start with the new fans, and having lost the home opener to Montreal five days earlier, Orpik and the Caps wanted to get the home portion of the season on a winning track.  Well, it was a nice thought.  The San Jose Sharks came into Verizon Center and scored three goals in the first 9:34 of the contest.  Orpik was on ice to get a good look at all of them.  The Caps would crawl back to force overtime, but the Sharks would escape with a 6-5 Gimmick win.  Orpik was on ice for all five of the five hockey goals scored by San Jose.

Postseason: 0-2-2, plus-5, 74 hits, 36 blocked shots

It says something about Orpik’s ability to play within himself and play his game that as the playoffs approach the end of the third round, he is still second overall in hits and tied for sixth in blocked shots as of May 23^rd.  His possession numbers were consistent with his regular season performance (49.2 Corsi-for percent at 5-on-5), and his Corsi-relative numbers were impressive in the last four games against the Rangers.  He would, however, find himself on ice for that last goal of the season, though, and for him, as it does for his teammates, it has to sting.

In the end…

If there was a player who delivered based on expectations for the Capitals this year, Orpik would rank highly on that list.  He has given no evidence of making many contributions over his career in the offensive end, and he was consistent with that profile this season.  When he did contribute, it was meaningful.  He did not contribute empty points.  On the defensive end he had the reputation of playing a rugged game, and he was true to form.  It would be a style that, if it didn’t rub off on his teammates, it was one that the club assumed – the “heavy” style of play discussed often in the season’s latter stages.

Orpik also played the role of wise veteran with knowledge to impart to his younger teammates.  It seems a natural progression for his career, having come from one of the storied programs in NCAA hockey through an NHL organization that had success, and finally to a team that has young skill players who are just learning what it takes to compete and succeed in the NHL.  In that sense, Orpik’s numbers cannot be looked at in a vacuum.  It would be hard to quantify the effects “Batya” has had on players such as Evgeny Kuznetsov or Andre Burakovsky, but both players finished their seasons in strong fashion.  Looking at the numbers for Orpik is one thing, but what you see when you lift your eyes from the spreadsheets looks a bit different.  Whatever one might think of Orpik’s contract in the long term, it would appear that the Capitals got their money’s worth from it in 2014-2015.

Grade: B

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America

Short Programming Note...

It is Memorial Day weekend in the U.S., and if folks aren't glued to the tube to watch the NHL Conference finals, they are spending the first weekend of summer with friends and family...or you should be.  So, we will be off until Tuesday.  Have a happy and safe holiday.

And for all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that this weekend remembers and salutes, you have our everlasting thanks.

Top Ten Reasons Mike Babcock Took the Maple Leaf Job

We're all going to miss David Letterman, so here is our humble (you may read: "lame") homage to that format...

Here they are, the top ten reasons Mike Babcock signed with Toronto...

Number 10... Engaging with the most knowledgeable fans in hockey in reasoned discourse

Number 9... The chance to see the smiling faces of the Toronto media every day

Number 8... Sharing the night life with Rob Ford

Number 7... He was tired of Datsyuk always muttering something at him in Russian every time they got back together after an international tournament

Number 6... He can see real baseball in the off season, the way it was meant to be played, not that American version

Number 5... No more Obamacare!

Number 4... The chance to follow in the footsteps of coaching legends in Toronto like Mike Nykoluk and Tom Watt

Number 3... He didn’t want a contract that was going to pay him in bacon-wrapped pizza

Number 2... He's a sucker for the metric system

…and the number one reason Mike Babcock took the job in Toronto…

The chance to coach the myth, the man, the legend that is Phil Kessel