We are now in the home stretch of Washington Capitals player report cards which means there are only a handful of players left to grade. Next up is Trevor van Riemsdyk, who although didn’t play much in his first season with the Caps earned himself a contract extension. The Caps liked what they saw from TvR and the reason of the lack of playing time was because of simply how crowded the blue line was last season.
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Despite the lack of playing time, suiting up for just 20 games, van Riemsdyk had the best Corsi For percentage among defensemen at five on five, finishing up at 52.49 percent. When van Riemsdyk played, he averaged 17:05 minutes per game. He played the best alongside Brenden Dillon as their combined Corsi For percentage was 51.45 percent. When Dillon wasn’t paired with TvR, his CF dropped to 45.97 percent. Offensively, TvR had a goal and two assists for three points in those 20 games played.
It’s hard to get a read on TvR for a grade but the Caps signed him to a year deal last offseason worth $800,000. For that low of a price for a young, quality, defenseman, it was easily a steal. If the Caps didn’t have Zdeno Chara on the team, perhaps he would’ve played more. We’ll likely see him in a bigger role next season after the team signed him to a two year deal worth $1.9 million back in March.
What does the future hold for TvR this offseason? I could say he’s locked in but I don’t know which three defensemen the Caps will protect if they go with the 7-3-1 format. Nor whom I know who the Kraken would take. TvR isn’t a bad option if he’s available but I think they would likely go with Vitek Vanecek or another defensemen.
Offensively the stats don’t impress you much but 20 games is just a small sample size. Still, the advanced stats speak volumes about the Caps puck control when he’s on the ice. In addition to a good CF, TvR had a High Danger Goals For of 58.33 percent which led all Caps defensemen.
Grade B: While we didn’t see much of TvR this season, when he stepped in he excelled. Look for the blue liner to get a bigger role next season unless he gets selected by the Kraken. He could also be a big part of the Caps penalty kill. It is clear Laviolette liked what he saw from his limited play.