Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway deserves more playing time in 2020

Garnet Hathaway of the Washington Capitals deserves more playing time.

When the Washington Capitals signed Garnet Hathaway last summer they were hoping to add a depth forward to their fourth line. So far this season, Hathaway has made an impact on the Caps before the season was paused.

Hathaway averaged the least amount of ice time among skaters with an average of 10:47 on the ice.

Despite this, he still had a solid season with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 66 games played.

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Hathaway’s Corsi For percentage at even strength comes to a 52.5 percent. His Fenwick For is 53 percent. On the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Richard Panik, their Corsi For percentage was clicking at 57.83 percent while their Fenwick For percentage is at 59.38 percent. Their High Danger Chances For is at 85.71 percent.

The Caps offense should be alright heading into the playoffs. Hathaway has been working out with his teammates at MedStar Capitals Iceplex ahead of training camp. He was excited to get back on the ice for the first time in months. It’s not your usual practice, however.

There’s daily temperature checks to make sure nobody has any signs of the novel coronavirus and social distancing is still encouraged. It’s typically a three hour workday with informal workouts starting at nine am and ending at noon. But it’s rather quiet with no public access.

Hathaway recently talked to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription required) and said, “I’m really optimistic about it (the season coming back). I’m preparing for the best. That’s how I have to approach it. I bring that (outlook) to the rink and that’s the same feeling I get around the room, too. We’re doing this for purpose. And once things do open – and they will – we’ll be ready to go and win some hockey games.”

For Hathaway, he will get a taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight year. Last season with the Calgary Flames he appeared in all five of their games in a series loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Now he’s on a loaded team in the top four in the east. Look for him to be their best secret weapon in the Round Robin and an X-Factor for when the games really count when it’s tournament style the rest of the way. Him and Nic Dowd are two Caps deserving of having their name etched on the Stanley Cup.