Washington Capitals 2021-2022 Previews -- Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom

“Simplicity is the glory of expression.”
-- Walt Whitman

Making the difficult look simple is a gift only the most talented possess.  And while it seems like only yesterday that Alex Ovechkin announced the selection of Nicklas Backstrom as the fourth overall pick in the 2006 Entry Draft, he has been making the difficult look simple for 14 seasons.  You could say that Backstrom is on the back-nine of his illustrious career (he will turn 34 in November), but he is still a remarkably productive player, ranking 25^th in points per game last season among players dressing for at least 25 games and tied for tenth in power play points (22 – oddly enough, tied with Sidney Crosby in as many games (55)).  And turning 30 does not seem to have slowed him down too much.  Since turning 30 in the 2017-2018 season, Backstrom ranks 17^th in assists (182) and points (252) among all players.

Odd Backstrom Fact… Nicklas Backstrom goes into the 2021-2022 season ranked fifth among active players in career points (980) and eighth in points per game among 206 players with at least 500 games played (0.97).

Odd Backstrom Fact II… Nicklas Backstrom has never been awarded a penalty shot.

Fearless’ Take…

Nicklas Backstrom is one of the most reliable players of his era.  Only twice in 14 season has he averaged fewer than 2.0 assists per 60 minutes, and only once did he average fewer than 2.5 points per 60 minutes (2.4 in 2010-2011).  He is one of three active players since 2007-2008 to average more than 0.70 assists per game (0.71; only Crosby and Evgeni Malkin average more among players dressing for at least 500 games).

Cheerless’ Take…

Backstrom seems to have hit an inflection point (am I using that word right, cuz?) in his career.  From 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 he averaged more primary assists per game than secondary assists, but in the last two seasons he averaged more secondary assists (1.3 in each season) than primary assists (0.9 in each season), even as his points per 60 minutes jumped to its high-water mark (3.1 per game last season) since 2016-2017 (3.4).

Potential Milestones to Reach in 2020-2021…

• 1,000 career points (currently 980)
• 500 career penalty minutes (476)
• 600 career even strength points (582)
• 400 career power play points (396)
• 20,000 career minutes played (19,831)

The Big Question… Is Nicklas Backstrom still an elite playmaker?

The last two seasons were cut short, but Nicklas Backstrom still had respectable 42- and 38-assist seasons.  Before that, he posted at least 50 assists in six straight seasons.  Can he reach that level again?  His six 50-assist seasons since 2013-2014 is most in the league, so one would have to think he is capable of hitting that mark again in a full season, and since Connor McDavid is the only player over that time frame to have more 60-assist seasons (five) than Backstrom (three, tied with Crosby), a big assist season is not out of the question.

In the end…

The core of the Capitals roster is aging, but it remains the core, and it has to produce for the team to have any reasonable hope of a deep playoff run.  And that means Nicklas Backstrom will have to have a typical, if not better, Backstrom year.  In his favor is the simplicity of his game, or at least the appearance of it.  It is what makes his ability to think ahead and place pucks on the tape of teammates in a shooting position almost unmatched in the NHL.  But one thing to watch as the new season unfolds is his shooting.  He set a personal career high of 16.5 percent shooting last season, but that with the second-fewest shots per 60 minutes of his career (5.3).  Backstrom had four 20-goal seasons before the two most recent, abbreviated seasons.  But he has not had more than 25 goals since he posted a career-high 33 in 2019-2010.  He might need to reach that level for the Caps to safely reach the postseason.

Projection: 76 games, 24-52-76, plus-3

Retired Numbers that Weren't - the 2010's

We are up to the last installment of our look at retired numbers not retired by the Washington Capitals.  The 2001-2020 decade is a tough one, because a number of players who might be candidates are still active with the Caps.  But there are departed players, retired or still active with other teams, who might deserve some thought as time goes by.

The Candidates:

“90” In seven seasons with the Caps to open the decade, Marcus Johansson established himself as a well-rounded, reliably productive offensive player with a deceptively accurate shot when he decided to deploy it.  He was one of six Capitals to post at least 100 goals for the decade (102), finished fifth in total points (290), tied for fourth in game-winning goals (20), and had the sixth-best shooting percentage of Capitals who recorded at least 100 shots on goal (13.8).  He also holds the distinction of being one of seven Capitals to score a playoff series clinching goal in overtime (Dale Hunter, John Druce, Brian Bellows, Joe Juneau, Joel Ward, and Evgeny Kuznetsov being the others).

“42” Joel Ward could be thought of as an “any era” Capital, a rugged forward who could have fit in as a “plumber” in the 1980’s, a player who could hold his own in the “clutch-and-grab” 1990’s and early 2000’s, and as an all-around complementary player he was for the Caps in his four seasons in Washington.  He was a decent goal scorer in his years in Nashville preceding his stay in DC, but he improved in that area as a Capital, posting his best two goal-scoring seasons in Washington – 24 goals in 2013-2014 and 19 goals in 2014-2015.  And, he is one of only two Capitals in team history to score a series-clinching goal in Game 7 of a playoff series for the Caps (Hunter being the other) and the only one to do it on the road when his overtime goal in Boston in Game 7 clinched the series against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

“83” Odd to find a grinder here, but Jay Beagle is a special case.  His climb to the NHL was a long one, starting with a tryout with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL in 2006-2007, ending when he dressed for 31 games for the Caps in 2010-2011.  He became a fan favorite for his embrace of his role as a grinding defense-oriented player who eventually became an offensive contributor from a fourth line role.  He was an adept faceoff performer (56.4 percent as a Capital) and had an uncanny ability to score goals that mattered (the Caps were 41-1-5 in regular season games in which he scored at least one goal).  And, he is the first player to have won championships in the ECHL (with Idaho), the AHL (Hershey Bears), and the NHL (with the Caps).

“70” Braden Holtby or Olaf Kolzig?  Who was the greatest goalie in Caps history?  Whether one picks one or the other, Holtby deserves at least as much consideration for his number’s retirement as does Kolzig.  Second to Kolzig in games played in team history (468 to 711), second in wins (282 to 301 for Kolzig), tied with Kolzig for first with 35 shutouts as a Capital, second in save percentage (.916) to Philipp Grubauer (.923) among goalies with at least 100 games played, third in goals against average among that same group (2.53), co-holder of the all-time record for wins in a single NHL season (48, with Martin Brodeur), twice a Vezina Trophy finalist and a winner in 2015-2016, first team NHL all-star in 2015-2016, and Jennings Trophy winner in 2016-2017.  As a Capital, he had the second-best playoff save percentage in the post-original six era (.926 to Tim Thomas’ .933; minimum: 50 games played).  And, he is the only goalie in team history to hoist the Stanley Cup.

It might seem a bit odd that no defensemen make this list, but it is a thin list of potential candidates with some still active with the Caps, others who might have made an impact but in a limited stay here, or just not quite worthy of consideration.  As time goes by, the list will undoubtedly include some blueliners, but for now, these four candidates stand out as players and numbers who likely will not see their numbers retired (save for Holtby, perhaps), but are worthy of remembrance.

Retired Numbers that Weren't - the 2000's

We are up to the fourth installment of our look at retired numbers not retired by the Washington Capitals, and with it, the new century dawns.

The Candidates:

"37” It took a while for Olaf Kolzig to become the Capitals’ number one netminder – six seasons, in none of which did he dress for as many as ten games – but when he took over for an injured Bill Ranford in 1887-1998, the job would be his for the next ten seasons.  Kolzig’s record in the 2000’s might be considered mediocre overall (187-188-23, with 31 ties, 2.83, .906), but recall that he was the netminder for much of the Caps’ decline and subsequent rebuild in mid-decade.  Coming off a Vezina Trophy-winning 1999-2000 season, he would win 101 games over the next three seasons (fourth most among all NHL goalies) for an aging Caps team starting its decline.  He was a workhorse, appearing in 209 games over those three seasons (second only to Martin Brodeur’s 218 games), and posted 15 of his career 35 shutouts.  Perhaps only Peter Bondra generates more discussion on the topic of numbers that should be retired than Kolzig.

“52” If Mike Green isn’t the best offensive defenseman in Caps’ history, he is on a short list.  He is the last NHL defemseman to record at least 30 goals in a season (31 in 2008-2009) and the only defenseman to do it since another Capital – Kevin Hatcher – posted 34 goals in 1992-1993.  He posted consecutive 70-plus points seasons in 2008-2009 (73) and 2009-2010 (76), the only defenseman to accomplish the feat in the 2000’s.  That he finished second in Norris Trophy voting in those years is one of the greater travesties in voting for individual awards in recent memory.  He set (and still holds) the record for consecutive games with a goal by an NHL defenseman (eight, in 2008-2009). Despite a reputation as inconsistent in his own end of the ice, he finished the 2000’s with a plus-51 aggregate rating, one of only two Capitals defenseman with a plus-50 or better (Jeff Schultz: plus-80).  He led all Capitals defensemen in game-winning goals for the decade with 12, twice as many as Sergei Gonchar, and his four overtime goals earned him the nickname “Game-Over Green.”

“28” Although the adjective “enigma” seemed to follow him around in his seven seasons as a Capital, one cannot deny that Alexander Semin was one of the most supremely gifted players ever to play for the Caps.  In 327 games in the 2000’s, Semin posted 300 points, second only to Alex Ovechkin (529 in 396 games) for the decade.  He tallied 148 goals over the period, also second to Ovechkin (269) for the decade; and he had 127 power play points, another second-place ranking for the 2000’s.  In five seasons in the 2000’s he topped 30 goals three times with a high of 40 in 2009-2010.  Another player who might be described as “challenged” in the defensive end of the ice, he still managed a plus-34 rating for the decade, sixth-best among all Capitals skaters, and received votes for the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward in 2008-2009, including two votes for fourth place among all vote-getters.

The Choice:

The 2000’s were an up and down decade for the Caps, who spent much of it tearing down the old and building up the new.  The constant through all of it was Olaf Kolzig, who gets the nod here as the clear choice.

Honorable Mention

“55” Sergei Gonchar had more points (232) and averaged more points per game (0.80) than did Mike Green (220/0.69) in 27 fewer games in the decade and was twice a second-team NHL all-star, and he did suffer somewhat for playing in the early part of the decade when the Caps were in decline, but he was not the impactful player Green was.

“9” In parts of six seasons with the Capitals, all of them spent with the Caps in decline and then in rebuilding mode, Dainius Zubrus was a reliable contributor, finishing fourth in goals among all skaters in the 2000’s (86), sixth in assists (130), and seventh in points (216).  He tied for fourth in game-winning goals (14) and fifth in power play goals (35).

“11” Being quite literally a “home grown” player (native of Potomac, MD) gets Jeff Halpern some points here, but he happened to be perhaps the best two-way forward of the decade for the Caps until Nicklas Backstrom became a Capital.  Despite playing only five seasons for the Caps in the decade, Halpern finished ninth in goals scored (69), ninth in assists (116), and tenth in points (185). Twice he received votes for the Norris Trophy as top defensive forward.