Washington Capitals 2017 Season Review: Marcus Johansson
Marcus Johansson had a career season for the Washington Capitals, securing his future in DC for the time being.
Last offseason, Marcus Johansson signed a rather large three-year extension with the Washington Capitals. It gave him an average annual value of $4.583 million, placing him in the top 30 for cap hits among left wings (for some reason, he’s not listed as one on CapFriendly). Johansson justified the deal by finishing 14th in the NHL in points among left wings.
Coming off the best season of his career, the Swedish forward looks to be an important part of the team moving forward. Johansson emerged as a two-way wing who can produce at a very impressive and consistent rate.
All stats, unless otherwise noted, are at even strength. Corsi and goals for numbers are adjusted. Stats courtesy of Hockey Analysis.
2016-17 Stats
Boxcar:
| Goals | Assists | Points | PP points | 5v5 points | Plus-minus | Penalty Minutes | Blocked Shots | Hits | TOI per game |
| 24 | 34 | 58 | 19 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 22 | 32 | 17:00 |
Rates:
| 5v5 Goals/60 | 5v5 assists/60 | 5v5 primary assists/60 | 5v5 points/60 | 5v5 iCorsi/60 | PP goals/60 | PP assists/60 | PP points/60 |
| 0.76 | 0.98 | 0.71 | 1.75 | 9.16 | 1.31 | 3.66 | 4.97 |
Possession:
| CorsiFor% | Rel. CorsiFor60 | Rel. CorsiAgainst60 | Rel. CorsiFor% | GoalsFor% | Rel. GoalsFor60 | Rel. Goals Against60 | Rel. GoalsFor% |
| 53.2 | -3.59 | -7.02 | 1.8 | 64.4 | 0.33 | -0.3 | 6.7 |
Song Time
This requires no context, but if you need some, here you go.
The Good
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Johansson continues to be very good on offense. His offensive numbers won’t wow you, but he’s very steady and consistent. Johansson set career highs in goals and points. He had his second best even strength goals per 60 minutes rate and his second best points per 60 minutes rate over a full season. Considering he played the second most minutes of his career, that’s impressive.
The Swedish wing is known for his power play expertise. Johansson continued to be a zone entry wizard with the man advantage. Among all forwards with at least 150 minutes on the power play, MoJo ranked 56th in power play points per 60 minutes. He had an 18.6 percent shooting percentage, a career high, but he also generated chances at a closer range than in recent years.
Perhaps Johansson’s most impressive growth came in his defense. He emerged as a very reliable shut down wing. This is a role Johansson will hopefully get more time in because he was nothing short of outstanding at it. He finished second on the team in even strength goals for percentage. Johansson had eight points in 13 playoff games, including the series winner against Toronto.
Off the ice, his father is one heck of a dancer. Appropriately, Johansson couldn’t be seen in any videos of his dad dancing. He was probably hiding in the corner, ashamed of his father like any good son. Later, video of Marcus dancing emerged, showing he inherited his daddy’s dancing genes.
The Bad
He’s never been much of a shooter, but after two straight seasons with an iCorsi60 of over 10.00, he fell to 9.16. Johansson’s goal scoring likely isn’t going to be sustainable if he doesn’t shoot the puck. He’s such an excellent passer, so this is understandable. But still, imagine if Johansson was more trigger happy with the puck. This would make him an even more effective offensive weapon.
An injury in the postseason hurt his game, as Johansson had just three points in seven games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was very tentative with the puck, which, given his hand/wrist injury, makes a lot of sense.
Future
Johansson should get time with Nicklas Backstrom next season. A strong shutdown line is important for any Stanley Cup contender. One that can score is extremely valuable. Johansson has earned the trust of Barry Trotz. In fact, MoJo is probably the biggest argument against firing him. He’s grown so much under Trotz.
No major changes are happening to the roster, so Johansson likely won’t be traded. But the Capitals should be open to it. Johansson is a great player, but his value to another team might exceed his value to the Caps. If someone’s willing to give up a lot to get him, the Capitals have a tough decision to make.
Other Johansson Season Reviews: Japers Rink, Russian Machine Never Breaks
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Player Grade
B+. Johansson is a very important forward to the Capitals. He’s shown he can fill a variety of roles efficiently. That kind of versatility in today’s NHL is priceless.. Forward. Washington Capitals. MARCUS JOHANSSON
Discussion
What should Johansson’s role next season be? Who should his center be, ideally? Discuss these questions and more in the comments.