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Washington Capitals: Breaking down the new 4th line

By Michael Marzzacco

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Nic Dowd #26 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring a goal against Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes on a penalty shot in the third period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Nic Dowd #26 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring a goal against Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes on a penalty shot in the third period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Everything about the Washington Capitals roster should look the same as far as top six forwards go. It’s the bottom six that’ll take some getting adjusted to.

Like the third line, the Washington Capitals fourth line will have a new face on it. What makes it different is that there might also be an additional face some nights. Center Nic Dowd and center/right wing Travis Boyd are the two returners. Left wing/center Chandler Stephenson might be back depending on how the arbitration goes and if the Capitals are willing to pay what Stephenson and his agent have asked for.

But the biggest keys to the fourth line having better success in 2019-20 will lie with the two newest players you’ll see this season, each acquired when NHL free agency kicked off. Garnet Hathaway can play both left and right wing while Brendan Leipsic is penciled in at left wing.

Hathaway comes from the Calgary Flames and is coming off his best offensive season scoring 11 goals and adding eight assists for 19 points. Hathaway’s Corsi-For percentage at even strength was at 49.5% while his Fenwick For was at 49.9%. in 2018-19. The Capitals signed Hathaway to a four-year deal worth $6 million, an AAV of $1.5 million per season.

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Leipsic was signed to a one-year, $700,000 deal by Washington. The Capitals are the fifth team Leipsic has been a member of in his three-year career. Last season, Leipsic posted a career-high 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists) with the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings. Leipsic’s Corsi-For and Fenwick For percentage was 46%.

Coming to a team like Washington will see both Leipsic’s and Hathaway’s numbers go up offensively. Leipsic can also be slotted into the power play. Hathaway, like other newcomer Richard Panik, is expected to have a prominent role on the penalty kill, a unit that looks for more improvement in 2019-20. These two players along with the return of Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin should help.

Nic Dowd became tasked with the tall order of fourth line center, a job left behind by Jay Beagle, and not only performed it well but earned himself a three-year extension. Dowd scored a career-high eight goals and added 14 assists for 22 points. He also was effective of the face-off dot, winning 51.9% of his draws. Dowd’s Corsi-For percentage finished out at 48.6% while his Fenwick For was at 49.7%.

Travis Boyd is in a difficult case after a tough 2018-19 season. Boyd missed the first month of the season with an injury but finished out the season playing in 53 games. He finished with 20 points (5 goals, 15 assists). Boyd’s Corsi-For and Fenwick For percentages finished out at 48.6% and 48.9%, respectively, but his defense was the biggest issue. Boyd’s High-Danger Chances For percentage was at 39.52%, the lowest percentage on the team.

It is likely Boyd will be a healthy scratch most nights unless he beats out Leipsic or Hathaway at training camp and earns the opening night starting nod. Boyd enters the final year of his contract and will be an RFA at season’s end.

And finally, there’s Chandler Stephenson. His case is the most complicated of all. It seemed like the Capitals would be all finished with free agency shopping after acquiring Panik and Hathaway. Add Leipsic into the equation for a salary less than what Stephenson hopes to make and you got a rocky situation. Assuming things get sorted out in arbitration and the Capitals and Stephenson agree to a contract, then the training camp battles intensify. Somebody could even get sent down to Hershey.

Stephenson scored 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in 64 games and was scratched from the lineup numerous times. The Capitals extended Stephenson a qualifying offer before free agency opened up.

That qualifying offer was worth $700,000 and Stephenson and his agent will be looking for a deal slightly north of that. To make matters all the more complicated, will the Capitals even have enough room in their salary cap to bring back Stephenson after efforts on extending Jakub Vrana and Christian Djoos?

Breaking down the 3rd line. dark. Next

It’ll be an interesting thing to watch this summer with what happens to Stephenson. When training camp begins, we’ll see how Boyd has improved and how Dowd adjusts to new teammates Leipsic and Hathaway. The Capitals made the most out of the limited cap space and have the foundation in place for a thrilling 2019-20 season.

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