Washington Capitals center Jay Beagle had a career season, cementing his status as a fan favorite.
Many Washington Capitals players set some personal bests during the 2016-17 NHL season. One of them was fourth line center Jay Beagle. In many ways, number 83 has proven he was worth the extension the Caps gave him just before free agency in 2014-15.
Beagle remains one of the best penalty killing forwards around. The Capitals’ new aggressive penalty kill allowed number 83 to showcase what he can do. His best asset as far as skating is his straight speed. Beagle got on numerous breakaways during penalty kills, utilizing his work ethic and speed to create scoring chances.
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
Regular season: 81 games played, 13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points, +/- rating of +20, 22 PIMs, 55 hits, 44 blocked shots, 13:38 average time on ice, 50.11 CorsiFor percentage, 52.64 expected goals for percentage, 65.28 goals for percentage.
Relative possession numbers: -4.03 relative CorsiFor percentage, 5.81 relative GoalsFor percentage, -0.07 relative expected GoalsFor percentage.
Postseason: 13 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, +/- rating of -5, four penalty minutes, 11:42 average time on ice.
Which song describes Beagle’s season the best? How about the best song ever involving a canine?
The Good
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Beagle was a very good boy this season. He got to wag his tail a lot this season, setting career highs in goals (13), assists (17) and points (30). More importantly, this season was Beagle’s first NHL season with at least 63 games played, playing in all but one of the 82 regular season games.
Perhaps his full season explains why he set those career highs. However, Beagle’s 0.37 points per game also set a career high, so it was more than just good health on his side. Puck luck finally threw him a bone, as he converted on 13 percent of his shots on goal, the best of his career. Among regulars, he ranked second in goals for percentage, trailing only Brett Connolly.
Fans were given a treat when the Caps went on the penalty kill with Beagle trailing only Karl Alzner on shorthanded playing time. Among the eight Capitals’ penalty killers with at least 110 minutes played, he ranked fourth in CorsiFor percentage, first in points (three) and first in individual scoring chances (seven). Beagle’s 1.86 individual scoring chances per 60 minutes on the penalty kill trailed only Daniel Winnik.
However, his most impressive accomplishment? Giving this site an excuse to write about Mario Kart. Beagle’s also responsible for one of my favorite stats of the year. He scored nine goals with 16 points in just 28 games against the Western Conference, including 10 points in 14 games against the Central Division. So if Beagle signs a huge deal with a Central Division team in the future, now you know why.
The Bad
Beagle has never been a good possession forward. This season was no different. Luckily for Beagle, his scoring likely caused fans to overlook it somewhat. But no Capitals forward with at least 400 minutes at even strength had a worse CorsiFor percentage than him. It’s worth noting Beagle faced tough situations and, as far as direct results are concerned, flourished. But he could have done much better.
Beagle also finished with the lowest goals for percentage of all Capitals’ forwards to play at least 300 minutes with the lead. This isn’t an indictment on him. It’s not Beagle’s fault he wasn’t utilized properly. If you want to blame someone, blame the man who put him on the ice with leads.
Finally, Beagle went invisible during the postseason, not showing up on the scoresheet in 13 games. This may well have been a difference (though not the biggest) between the Capitals beating the Penguins and the Caps losing in the second round.
Future
Beagle is a free agent after next season. Lots of Capitals fans have eaten crow about him as a player, as he’s proven he can be a decent scorer. However, Beagle’s possession numbers are a huge red flag and he doesn’t play enough minutes to warrant much more than his current salary. If the Capitals want to make some subtle changes to the roster, number 83 might be one of the first ones to go. Beagle would have suitors, as he’s the type of player coaches love.
Player Grade
Discussion
Should the Capitals look to extend Beagle? How much would you be willing to pay him? Are Beagle’s terrible possession numbers because of him or because of Barry Trotz? How happy are Central Division teams that he’s in the Eastern Conference? Feel free to discuss these in the comments.