Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
The Caps traded for Oshie to be a top six forward. He’s a great fit to play alongside Ovechkin and Backstrom
Yesterday, the Washington Capitals made a very smart move in acquiring St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie in exchange for Troy Brouwer, goaltending prospect Pheonix Copley and a 2016 third round pick. Combine that with the signing of Justin Williams and the Washington Capitals’ top six forwards look completely different than they did at the end of last year.
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SEE ALSO: Caps Trade For T.J. Oshie
In game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers, this is how the top two forward lines looked for the Capitals.
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Joel Ward
Marcus Johansson – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Jason Chimera
This is how the first two forward lines, barring injuries, will most likely look when the Washington Capitals open their 2015 season.
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – T.J. Oshie
Andre Burakovsky – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Justin Williams
In St. Louis, T.J. Oshie was a first line wing judging by his even strength time on ice per game since the lockout shortened 2012-2013 season.
- 2012-2013: 14.2 minutes per game
- 2013-2014: 13.8 minutes per game
- 2014-2015: 14.5 minutes per game
It can be assumed that he will be filling the first line right wing role with the Washington Capitals. Let’s compare how his role with the Blues compares to his role with the Capitals. I’d like to thank Laura from SB Nation’s St. Louis Game Time for her input on this matter.
"On Oshie being a fit with Ovechkin and Backstrom: He could be, but it’s going to be a massive change for him from [David Backes] and [Alex Steen] to Ovie and Backstrom.On the biggest change from going Steen and Backes to Ovie and Backstrom:To be honest, the speed, probably. [Ken Hitchcock’s] system isn’t the fastest in the world, and neither is Backes. The speed that plays develop may take him a bit to get used to. Also, Backes is more of a net crasher than a play-developer.On Oshie’s role on the Blues first line:Creating some space for Steen and then getting the puck either in Steen’s direction or on-net for Backes."
Honestly, I think that’s fairly similar to what his role with the Washington Capitals first line will likely look like. Steen is a high volume shooter (albeit not nearly as high volume as The Great Eight) so Oshie will obviously do a fair bit of setting up Ovi by creating space. I think Oshie is a guy who can do that because teams have to respect his shooting ability and he can take advantage of holes in the defense. I could see Oshie doing a fair bit of putting the puck on net for Ovechkin because lately, the Washington Capitals captain has shown that he’s not afraid to drive to the net for rebounds and get dirty. Here are his shot generation stats at even strength last season, as well as his production rates.
His shot generation numbers aren’t the best, but I think that could change for the good. Oshie will no longer be playing the primary setup role for the Washington Capitals. That’s Backstrom’s job. Oshie’s a very talented wing who can produce at a first line rate.
CREDIT: Own The Puck
As you can see, the Washington Capitals have a legitimate first line wing in Oshie. He scores goals at a second line rate (which is perfectly acceptable). His high assist rates prove that he is excellent at setting up plays and setting up one-timers. People need to stop thinking he’s an “elite” player because these days, elite players tend to drive possession. That’s something that Oshie has never really done. On the other hand, he doesn’t hurt his team possession wise despite having the third lowest offensive zone start percentage amongst Blues forwards in 2014-2015. He had the sixth lowest offensive zone start percentage among Blues forwards in 2013-2014 (when he had a high relative CF%) and the third lowest in 2012-2013. I expect that to change considering who his line mates will be. He’s not elite, but he’s still great.
The best reason that he’s a great fit for the Washington Capitals on the first line? Check out the bottom section (Impact on Linemates Goals). He makes his teammates much better in terms of goals scored and goals allowed. Keep in mind that the Blues don’t have an elite goaltender like Braden Holtby so that most likely had an effect on his GA60 rate. He makes his line mates score more. When you’re playing with guys like Ovechkin and Backstrom, that’s very important.
If my numbers don’t make you excited about Oshie being on the Washington Capitals, here’s a highlight video to get you pumped. If THAT doesn’t get you excited, seek medical help immediately.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at Justin Williams and what he’s going to do for the second forward line.
Even strength TOI stats courtesy of war-on-ice. Shot generation stats and production rates courtesy of Hockey Analysis. Hero Chart courtesy of Own The Puck.