Matt Niskanen had one of the best seasons of his career in 2016-17. And he was the Washington Capitals best defenseman.
When the Washington Capitals signed Matt Niskanen back in the 2014 offseason, many thought they overpaid for him. Since then, he has proven, if anything, Washington got him at just the right price. Niskanen further justified his expensive contract in 2016-17, emerging as the Caps best defenseman after John Carlson’s injury.
With Dmitry Orlov, he formed one of the league’s top defensive pairings. Niskanen’s presence, for whatever reason, proved to be calming for Orlov. He made far fewer mistakes and the two defensemen went together like milk and cookies.
All stats, unless otherwise noted, are at even strength. Corsi and goals for numbers are adjusted. Stats courtesy of Hockey Analysis.
2016-17 Stats
Boxcar
| Goals | Assists | Points | PP points | 5v5 points | Plus-minus | Penalty Minutes | Blocked Shots | Hits | TOI per game |
| 5 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 27 | 20 | 32 | 93 | 147 | 22:11 |
Rates
| 5v5 Goals/60 | 5v5 assists/60 | 5v5 primary assists/60 | 5v5 points/60 | 5v5 iCorsi/60 | PP goals/60 | PP assists/60 | PP points/60 |
| 0.18 | 1.01 | 0.55 | 1.20 | 12.56 | 0.43 | 3.45 | 3.88 |
Possession
| CorsiFor% | Rel. CorsiFor60 | Rel. CorsiAgainst60 | Rel. CorsiFor% | GoalsFor% | Rel. GoalsFor60 | Rel. Goals Against60 | Rel. GoalsFor% |
| 55.0 | 3.08 | -7.03 | 4.6 | 60.5 | -0.26 | 0.03 | -2.6 |
The Good
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Niskanen was a true first pairing defenseman for the Capitals. Not only did he play huge minutes, he put up the numbers to back it up. Niskanen had the best even strength CorsiFor percentage of any Caps defensemen and had the highest points per 60 minutes rate of those who played at least 300 minutes.
He had his most productive season since the 2013-14 season, which is the season that basically got him paid. Niskanen had the second best season of his career in terms of production. One could argue he was even better in 2016-17 than he was back then. Despite playing the third most minutes of any Caps blue liner on the penalty kill, the Capitals allowed fewer shots against with Niskanen on the ice.
The Bad
He went cold in the postseason, putting up just four points in 13 games. Niskanen also made numerous mistakes which allowed to goals, most notably against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Capitals allowed more goals against with him on the ice than they did without him on the penalty kill.
Considering how much power play time he got, Niskanen wasn’t that productive. His numbers were fine, but when you’re operating the Caps power play, fine isn’t acceptable. Niskanen’s relative goals for percentage looks bad, but he was still very good.
Future
The Capitals have a first pairing defenseman in Niskanen. Moving forward, they should expect more of the same. Maybe not so much production, but as far as shot attempts go, he makes a consistent impact. Niskanen needs more time at even strength because he’s never been a stalwart on special teams. He’s a quality second team option, though.
Other Niskanen season reviews: Russian Machine Never Breaks, Japers Rink
Next: Capitals Offseason Outlook
Player Grade
Discussion
What should Niskanen’s role be moving forward? Should he remain with Orlov? Is the first pairing ready for more minutes with the departure of Karl Alzner? Discuss these conundrums, and more, in the comments below.