Early 2022 predictions for T.J. Oshie

Today we’ll round out the potential Washington Capitals second line with an early look at T.J. Oshie, who like Anthony Mantha is looking to bounce back from an injury filled season.

Last season Oshie had 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points. It was the second lowest of his career after he had seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points back in 2012-13 with the St. Louis Blues.

That season saw Oshie play in just 30 games. But before the injury Oshie’s 2021-22 season was off to a promising start. He scored the first goal of the season against the New York Rangers and had a hat trick against the Ottawa Senators. Then the injury would happen and it sidelined him for a while.

In Oshie’s first seven games before the first injury he had four goals and two assists for six points. He then came back for one game in November before getting hurt again. Then he got COVID. So an injury on top of the virus made last season a rough one for Oshie.

T.J. Oshie will bounce back in 2022.

So how will Oshie bounce back and what kind of a 2022-23 season should we expect from him? Well if he’s healthy he’s one of the best Caps scorers on the team behind Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Even in just 53 games the season before, Oshie was able to score 22 goals. So if he can play a full 82 game season he has the potential to score at least 20. Age could catch up with him as he turns 36 in December but maybe he’ll defy Father Time like the great eight.

Having Oshie around is important for the locker room and the team as a whole. He’s the heart and soul of the Capitals and his energy is shown in the tunnel before warmups as he’s firing up each and every one of his teammates. And even after warmups as he leaps into the tunnel.

So to predict how Oshie will do this season, I’ll go with the over. Oshie will score 24 goals and add 22 assists for 46 points. Overall not too bad especially coming off an injury filled season last year.