This past season many players suited up for the Washington Capitals so when the season ended we felt like it was only fitting to grade everybody. With that being said next up is Lucas Johansen.
The 28th overall pick in first round of the 2016 NHL Draft finally made his NHL debut on New Years Eve at the Detroit Red Wings and had an assist on the Caps first goal of the night from Evgeny Kuznetsov. He played a total of 12:18 minutes and a total of 19 shifts.
With many changes possibly coming to the Caps this offseason, maybe there’s a chance Johansen could make the opening night roster out of training camp. Matt Irwin and Michal Kempny are free agents. As is Justin Schultz. It is highly unlikely any of those players would be back.
With one game played on the Caps this season, Johansen obviously spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears. He played in 62 games with the Bears this past season, recording 28 points with eight goals and 20 assists. In the Calder Cup Playoffs he had an assist in three games.
The Bears bestowed Johansen with the Best Defenseman and Best Plus Minus as he ranked second in scoring among all Hershey blue liners and led the way with the team’s best plus minus with a plus 20.
Grade B+: Lucas Johansen earns a B+ for a stellar performance on the Bears blue line this season. There may be a role for him with the big club next season which for a 2016 first rounder is long overdue. I remember watching him in development camp as well as Ilya Samsonov. It’s crazy how much older they are right now. One has a chance to be a starting net minder if the Caps decide to choose him and the other might get to step into a role he finally deserves.