Washington Capitals center Chandler Stephenson just finished his second full season.
Chandler Stephenson is a part of a young Washington Capitals core that, at the time of the 2017-18 season, represented the future. Now he’s among the core that will be a part of a big decision general manager Brian MacLellan has to make.
Like Christian Djoos and Jakub Vrana, who was also among this said core, Stephenson enters the summer as a restricted free agent (RFA).
One of Stephenson’s biggest strengths is his speed. He hustles to the puck, battles and tries to create plays. He had a solid first full season in Washington in 2017-18 where he finished with 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) and a +13 in 67 games.
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2018-19 was a drop-off season for the 25-year old. Health wasn’t an issue as he still played in 64 games but Stephenson finished with 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) for a -13. Stephenson’s -13 was the lowest plus/minus on the team.
Another glaring stat was that Stephenson was the only Capitals forward to not have penalty minutes for an entire season. Only backup goaltender Pheonix Copley is the other Capitals player that finished with no penalty minutes.
Even though Stephenson didn’t set foot in the sin bin for an entire regular season that doesn’t necessarily mean he had a halo over his head on the ice either. One could say that he as a bit of a “passenger” at times, a term that former head coach Barry Trotz used when he scratched Vrana from the lineup at times.
Stephenson was even more quiet in the playoffs, appearing in six games with a -2 and just three shots to show for it. Though his clean streak also ended, he spent two minutes in the box on a Carolina Hurricanes power play.
Looking at the advanced stats, Stephenson’s Corsi-For percentage improved from 43.77% in 2017-18 to 44.81%. Stephenson’s High-Danger Chances For also improved from 43.42% to 44.30%. Stephenson’s Goals For percentage though dropped from 59.09% in 2017-18 to just 33.33%. These numbers were compiled via Natural Stat Trick.
When Stephenson is on his game, he’s someone from the bottom-six forwards group that opponents must keep an eye on. When he isn’t, well there’s that passenger term that Trotz seemed to like.
Grade C: Although Chandler Stephenson had a disappointing season, he’s a very important piece to the bottom-six forwards. There’s already speed on the top-six with players such as Vrana, but you need speed on the bottom-six too.
Sophomore slumps happen and while it is unclear what the future holds, I predict Stephenson gets a short-term “prove me” type contract. For the speed Stephenson brings as well as help on the penalty kill, Stephenson’s future is bright and the Capitals need to seize the opportunity.