Washington Capitals Roundtable: Where Do The Forwards Fit?
Should Andre Burakovsky remain in the top-six?
Andre Burakovsky has been up, down, and out of the lineup at times this season. Does he slot in as a top-six player for the rest of the season?
Brad Davis: Taking the whole season into account, he hasn’t yet proven that he is a top-six player yet. He has been hot as of late, but he will still need to prove over a larger sample size that he belongs there now. The beauty here is that he is only 20-years-old. Also, even if he plays third line minutes with either Johansson or Richards as the center and with Tom Wilson as the opposite wing, he can still be an impact player.
Kevin Marland: Burakovsky has been shooting more, and as a result, now looks a lot more promising on the second line. It will be interesting to see if he can supplant Marcus Johansson when he returns, which won’t be hard to justify if he keeps shooting and scoring. You can tell Trotz is sort of breaking and reforming the mold around a player that is obviously talented, but having to decide how to contribute best to his team. Sometimes it’s propping others up with great passes, sometimes it’s playing a specific role in the offense, sometimes, like now, its all about shooting. Good on Burakovsky for making himself a great, sculptable player for coaches to hone. That takes great maturity for such a young player.
Scott Deming: Yes, absolutely. And the reason isn’t because he’s a better fit there than Johansson, because I’m not sure that that’s true. However, Burakovksy should not play in the bottom six. His playing style just simply does not permit it. Demoting Burakovsky back to the bottom six would be a huge waste of his talent, talent that can and most likely will make a big difference come playoff time as long as he’s in the right role. Playing alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Williams, Burakovsky will have the opportunity to become a game-breaking talent for the Caps this season.
Alex Mandaro: Absolutely. One of the many, many strengths of the Capitals is their ability to bolster young talent by surrounding them with elite veteran players. Kuznetsov blossomed as quickly as he did because he was playing with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. When you combine that tutelage with the kind of raw talent Burakovsky clearly has, you have the recipe for a future star. Although his stats have been relatively weak, I think he is heating up. I think that Burakovsky is quietly one of the best shooters on the team. He reminds me of an Alex Semin with a positive attitude and far more room to grow. Coach Trotz can add fuel to the fire he is starting on the ice by keeping him playing in the top six. Keep the Burrakuda on the second line, Trotz!
Ben Eisenberg: Burakovsky, there’s no way Trotz can move him out of the top six right now. He has 9 points his last 6 games and is clearly heating up. If he truly is back on track then he may be a force down the stretch. Recall that he looked better than Evgeny Kuznetsov for much of last year.
Next: Marcus Johansson: Third Line Center?