The Washington Capitals season reviews begin with one of the longest tenured players, defenseman Karl Alzner.
Even though the Washington Capitals fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup, many players still had excellent season that should be celebrated. The process of reviewing each player’s season begins with the first player alphabetically, defenseman Karl Alzner. He’s been in the Caps organization longer than any player other than Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
This also is most likely his last season review with the Caps. Alzner will be a free agent this offseason and it’s hard to see him returning to the nation’s capital. Washington is probably better off without him, especially if they manage to lock up Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt long-term.
All stats, unless otherwise mentioned, are from Corsica. Possession and goals for stats are at even strength and are zone, venue and score adjusted.
2016-17 Stats
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Regular season: 82 games played, three goals, 10 assists, 13 points, +/- rating of +23, 28 PIMs, 105 hits, 162 blocked shots, 19:47 average time on ice, 49.38 CorsiFor percentage, 49.33 expected goals for percentage, 59.4 goals for percentage.
Relative possession numbers: -5.87 percent relative CorsiFor percentage, -2.79 relative GoalsFor percentage, -3.99 relative expected GoalsFor percentage.
Postseason: Seven games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, +/- rating of -1, two penalty minutes, 15:45 average time on ice.
Which song describes Alzner? Got to go with a reliable oldie but a goodie that talks about taking care of business.
The Good
Alzner’s consecutive game streak is still alive. He has appeared in 540 consecutive regular season games. Most people don’t miss a day of work over a seven year period, but that’s precisely what Alzner has done. There have been some very close calls, but his durability is quite impressive. He did, however, miss several playoff games due to injuries.
No Washington Capitals defenseman played more shorthanded minutes than Alzner. He put up 81 shots on goal during the regular season, the second most of his career, trailing only his 95 shots during the 2013-14 campaign. Alzner continues to be extremely good at not allowing goals, putting up a career high plus-minus rating of +23. He ranked fourth among all Capitals defensemen in average time on ice and third among those who spent the whole season with the team.
The Bad
Alzner’s possession numbers have been going through a steady decline. That decline got rather ugly this season. His 49.38 even strength CorsiFor percentage was the second worst among Washington Capitals defensemen, trailing only Taylor Chorney. Among all Caps with at least 400 minutes at even strength, Alzner was the only one with a CorsiFor percentage below 50 percent.
Alzner has been known for being great defensively, but this wasn’t the case this season. His CorsiAgainst per 60 minutes at even strength of 56.97 was the second worst among Capitals defensemen, trailing solely Chorney.
Granted, Alzner isn’t known for being an offensive wizard. But his offensive numbers this year
“Whenever we say we’re going home or we’re filling out any paperwork, this is home”
were terrible. While Alzner was on the ice, the Capitals put up just 51.25 shot attempts per 60 minutes at even strength. By comparison, every other Caps defensman (other than Chorney) had an even strength CorsiFor/60 rate of at least 57.54. And it’s hard to think Alzner didn’t drag down his most common defensive partner, John Carlson. His 13 points are the second lowest of his career in a full season.
Alzner dealt with recovering from a sports hernia surgery. He admitted it was still bothering him in the postseason. That’s not a good sign for his future. It never is. Alzner’s an excellent guy, so hopefully his health doesn’t go down the same path as Brooks Laich.
Future
It’s hard to see Alzner back in a Capitals sweater. He’s been a heck of a player and his durability is extremely impressive. But he’s due a pretty good pay raise and the Caps have a cheaper option in Schmidt. In a salary cap-less world, the Capitals probably hang on to Alzner. But since he’s probably the second best defenseman on the market and there are some teams desperate for defense with a ton of cap space, he probably isn’t returning.
“We consider this home,” Alzner said, via Russian Machine Never Breaks. “Whenever we say we’re going home or we’re filling out any paperwork, this is home.”
Hopefully he remains active in the DC community no matter where his future leads him.
Player Grade
Discussion
What is Alzner’s legacy in the nation’s capital? Would you bring him back to the Capitals? If yes, what’s the maximum years and cap hit you would go with him? What team do you think is the best fit for Alzner in free agency? Feel free to discuss in the comments.