I miss Nicklas Backstrom. Not just because he was the best center the Capitals ever drafted or because he wore my favorite number. Not just because he was a great two-way center and a good penalty killer. And not because his career was cut short by a hip injury. I miss him due to the fact the Capitals once dominant power play has sucked since he left the Capitals. No more tape-to-tape, no-look passes through the crease to set up Ovi’s one timer. The hiring of new assistant coach** Ray Bennett should help. But Bennett can’t do it alone; the Caps need to add a player who elevate the power play to another level, similar to the way Backstrom in DC.
Backy finished his career with 271 goals and 762 assists for a career 1033 career points, a .94 points per game in 1105 games. Of those points, he scored 83 goals and 335 assists for 418 career points on the power play. He was dangerous on the right half-wall, doling out assists when teams collapsed on him or firing that sneaky wrister past the goalie when teams gave him too much. If anyone doubted Backstrom’s importance to the team, look no further than the Capitals’ power play efficiency with and without him.
According to hockey-refeence.com, in 2006-07 the Capitals’ power lay efficiency was16.42 percent, more than one point below the league average of17.58. In 2008-09, the Capitals power play percentage jumped to 25.22, more than 6 points above the league average. For the over a decade, the Caps power play operated at 2 percentage points above the league average (or better) for most of those 12 years. When Backstrom’s hip started affecting his play, the power play efficiency hovered at or below the league average.
Last year, the Capitals’ power play finished at 23.54 percent, one of the best in the league’s best, before falling off a cliff to 17.84, the fifth worst percentage of the Ovechkin era. (The worst were 2005-06 and 2006-07, before Backstrom joined the team, and 2011-12, when he was injured and played only 42 games.) Obviously, Backstrom isn’t coming back. But the by examining what worked in the past, the Capitals can target someone who can add those same elements to the man advantage, which would turn them into a dangerous contender.
The Caps aren’t going to find another Backstrom, but Ovechkin has lost a step and Carlson is gone, making the power play a work in progress. This summer, the Caps should scour the free agent and trade markets to find that missing piece, that player that can pull it all together and raise their special teams to the next level. While they won’t be able to bring back no. 19 himself, players like William Nylander, Jason Robertson, or Elias Pettersson would bring a new look to the extra man. If the Caps indeed want to take the next step, they need to find another playmaker that Ray Bennett can utilize to raise their power play back to respectability.
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