Tom Wilson 2023 Report Card

Next up on our Washington Capitals end of season player report cards we look back at the comeback season of Tom Wilson. Wilson began the season recovering from an ACL injury that he suffered in last year’s first round playoff series. He returned to the ice on Jan. 9.

Wilson played a career low 33 games. Despite this he still had 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points. He also had 13 goals in 47 games during the 2021 pandemic shortened season. The season before that Wilson had 24 goals which was a career high.

Had Wilson been healthy all year, he could’ve easily passed that 24 goal mark and flirt with his first 30 goal season. But alas.

Still though it was a pretty good season.

Wilson finished with a 47.63 percent Corsi For percentage, a 43.43 percent Expected Goals For percentage, and a 39.27 percent High Danger Chances For percentage, via Natural Stat Trick.

Wilson is a very important piece of the Capitals future. He has one more year left on his contract that he signed in 2018. That deal was worth six years and $31 million. Some thought it was an overpay but boy has Wilson cashed in.

There’s no where else Wilson would rather be and he’s open to that extension, as he told the media on breakdown day:

“I’m not a guy that’s going to play hardball or say that I don’t want to be here. Everyone knows I love it here and I want to be here. No matter what happens, I want to help this city win games and I think if…I do my job and we start winning games and the team’s playing well, there’s not going to be a lot of question marks. You’re in the playoffs, playing well, things take care of themselves.”

Now these kind of words is something that a future team captain would say! Because on that dreadful day Alex Ovechkin retires, a lot of people expect Wilson to take over the team.

Grade A-: For just 33 games, still pretty good. Now Wilson has a whole summer to train. It’s a big season coming up for him. No better time to have that 30 goal season.