Washington Capitals: Richard Panik 2020 Report Card
Grading Richard Panik’s first season with the Washington Capitals.
Richard Panik had a rough first season with the Washington Capitals. He got off to a slow start on the third line but found his niche when he moved up to the fourth line. Panik played in 59 regular season games and had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. Not bad numbers for a bottom six forward.
Panik averaged 11:30 minutes of ice time per game, had a 54.7 five on five shot attempt percentage, a 51.4 expected goal percentage, and a 64.8 goal percentage. The Caps acquired him last summer, which seemed like forever ago, after they shipped Andre Burakovsky to the Colorado Avalanche.
Burakovsky enjoyed a career resurgence in Colorado. Panik meanwhile put up OK numbers but could’ve done better. Burakovsky wasn’t the only void to fill as the Caps also said goodbye to Brett Connolly. The third line to start the season composed of Panik with Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin. It was underwhelming at best.
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In the middle of the season the Caps traded for Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk would then get slotted onto the third line while Panik would replace Brendan Leipsic on the fourth line. Panik joined Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway and his numbers and puck possession improved once that switch was made.
The fourth line went 13.8 percent shooting, had a four to one goal differential and an 85.7 percent share of high danger chances. Those are promising numbers as the Caps will likely use Panik on the fourth line while inserting Daniel Sprong onto the third line.
Panik had one goal in the playoffs which came in their playoff opener in the round robin against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. He also notched a goal in Washington’s win over Pittsburgh in March which was a happier time before the season was shutdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Was Panik worth the money and how can he improve next season? The first part of that question remains to be seen but if he can score between 10-15, I’d consider that a good season.
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Grade C: Panik’s season turned around when his role was changed from third line to fourth line. If his chemistry with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway improves this upcoming season the next time we grade Panik might see him crack above average. What grade would you give to Panik? Let us know in the comments!