Washington Capitals Defensemen: Production Value
Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Under the direction of Barry Trotz and Todd Reirden, the Washington Capitals have had much better results from their defensemen, as opposed to least season under the direction of Adam Oates. Now that the Washington Capitals defensemen are all healthy, such as Dmitry Orlov and John Erskine, it is without a doubt that the Washington Capitals has one of the deepest blue lines in the league.
For starters, let’s take a quick look at games played by defensemen for the Washington Capitals last year:
- Mike Green– 70 GP
- Karl Alzner– 82 GP
- John Carlson– 82 GP
- John Erskine– 37 GP
- Dmitry Orlov- 54 GP
- Nate Schmidt– 29 GP
- Connor Carrick– 34 GP
- Steve Oleksy- 33 GP
- Alexander Urbom– 20 GP
- Tyson Strachan– 18 GP
- Jack Hillen– 13 GP
- Julien Brouillette– 10 GP
- Patrick Wey– 9 GP
- Cam Schilling– 1 GP
So as you can see, the Washington Capitals used 14 different defensemen last season, which made for a very unstable blue line. The Washington Capitals had two iron men though, in John Carlson and Karl Alzner, which formed the famous Carlzner pairing last season. Now, let’s take a peek at how the new guys in town did last season in terms of games played.
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- Brooks Orpik– 72 GP
- Matt Niskanen– 81 GP
- Tim Gleason– 17 GP (Hurricanes) 39 GP (Maple Leafs)
Of the Washington Capitals still around from last season, we can compare their offensive production from last season to this season, and determine who has benefited from Trotz and Reirden. Also, note that there are still 9 games left in the season, so these stats are subject to change.
Mike Green
Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014: 70GP, 9G, 29A, -16
- 2014-2015: 63 GP, 6G, 33A, +11
Mike Green has had a much better season in terms of assists and overall smarter play. Green has been turning the puck over less and making smarter decisions in his own zone when it comes to zone exits, except for a few times this year where we saw flashbacks to last years Mike Green. All in all, Green is one of the most graceful skaters on the Capitals and is still very capable of generating offense night in and night out, but there’s one issue that’s prevented him from scoring as much as he used to. Shooting, Greenie has to shoot the puck more often, he’s passing up opportunities to score on the power play, and during 5 on 5 play. However, he sets up Ovechkin on the power play better than anyone else on the Washington Capitals.
John Carlson
Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014: 82 GP, 10G, 27A, -3
- 2014-2015: 73 GP, 11G, 36A, +10
Captain America has always been a fan favorite, and for all the right reasons. He’s got an incredible slap shot, and has improved his all around game with the help of Todd Rierden. The longer those two work together, the better Carlson will get. Carlson has made his case to be a Norris Trophy finalist this year, based off of his production and how well he’s done in his own end of the ice for the Washington Capitals.
Karl Alzner
Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014: 82 GP, 2G, 16A, -7
- 2014-2015: 73 GP, 4G, 15A, +13
Karl Alzner has had a personal best season for the Washington Capitals. He scored 4 goals, the most of his career, and bagged 15 assists for the most points (19) he’s had in a single season in the NHL. It’s always nice to see Alzner get on the board, and he’s been a big key to the blue line success this season for the Washington Capitals.
With injuries to Orlov and Erskine, they were kept off of this simply because they have not played this year. Orlov is in Hershey right now and will likely play a game or two for Washington before the season ends, but Erskine has ruled himself out of the frame, although he is practicing.
Now for more comparison, let’s see how the new defensemen on the Washington Capitals did with their previous teams.
Brooks Orpik
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014: 72 GP, 2G, 11A, -3
- 2014-2015: 69 GP, 0G, 16A, +2
When the Capitals signed Brooks Orpik on the first day of free agency last summer, Washington Capitals fans were upset, to say the least. The contract was ridiculous, and it still is, but Orpik has been a huge addition to the Washington Capitals. Orpik is a key penalty killer, and a huge leader on and off the ice. Orpik leads the Washington Capitals with 170 blocked shots, and has racked up 263 hits. If the Capitals can hold on and make the playoffs, Orpik will be a huge part of how far they go. Also, congratulations to Brooks Oprik and his wife on their new daughter. So there’s some more Washington Capitals Dad Strength.
Matt Niskanen
Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014: 81 GP, 10G, 36A, +33
- 2014-2015: 73 GP, 3G, 21A, +8
Matt Niskanen had two choices last summer. The two choices were the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals. The money was there in Tampa Bay, but his defense coach from Pittsburgh, Todd Reirden, was with the Washington Capitals. Reirden (and Orpik) ultimately affected Niskanen’s decision to come to Washington, where he hasn’t produced nearly as much as he did for Pittsburgh, but there’s a reason for that. Niskanen hasn’t seen as much power play time as he did in Pittsburgh, because of Mike Green and John Carlson. If Niskanen can work on setting up Alex Ovechkin, he’d be perhaps the best fit on the Washington Capitals power play, because Nisky is no stranger to pulling the trigger.
Tim Gleason
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
- 2013-2014(Hurricanes): 17 GP, 0G, 1A, -7
- 2013-2014(Maple Leafs): 39 GP, 1G, 4A, -14
- 2014-2015: 8 GP, 0G, 1A, +2
Gleason was a deadline acquisition for the Washington Capitals in exchange for Jack Hillen. GMBM wasn’t so comfortable with his 6D situation, so he went out and changed it. Gleason was brought in to help on the Washington Capitals penalty kill, and also protect Mike Green. Gleason sticking around after this season is unlikely, but may he always be remembered as Mike Green’s personal body guard.
Like I said earlier, everyone has improved their game in some way since Trotz and Reirden took the reigns in DC, and the offensive output from the blue line has been a key to the Washington Capitals season, especially when the forwards go dry when goals are needed. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but for now, the Washington Capitals defensemen are the best they’ve been in years. The Washington Capitals are 8th in GA/GP (Goals Against Per Game) with 2.41, and although a lot of that has to do with the play of Braden Holtby, it also has a lot to do with the newly revamped blue line. If the Washington Capitals can hold on and make the playoffs, they’ll be a tough team to beat, for anyone they play. Rock the red. Go Caps.
Next: Washington Capitals Top 10 Defensemen Of All-Time