Ottawa’s Loss is Washington’s Gain
Preface
Always the polite one, Brooks Laich has quietly proven to be one of the best acquisitions in George McPhee’s tenure as Washington Capitals general manager. An after thought for the Senators at the time, Laich was the prime asset the Caps received in return for Peter Bondra in 2004.
A native of Wawota, Saskatchewan, Laich was never projected to be an impactful two-way player capable of 20 goal seasons and 50 point campaigns, but that is the exactly what he has developed into.
A late pick in the 2001 Draft, 6th round, 193rd Overall by the Ottawa Senators, Brooks made the scouting staff in Ottawa proud as he proved to be a steal, breaking out in his final year in the WHL by leading the Seattle Thunderbirds with 41 goals and 91 points in 60 games en route to being named the MVP of the Western Conference.
Following 4 years of steady improvement in the WHL, Laich reported to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL(Ottawa’s affiliate), registering 33 points in 44 games before being shipped to the Capitals along with a 2nd round pick for Peter Bondra.
It is interesting to note that the Caps then packaged Ottawa’s 2nd round pick along with their own 2nd rounder in 2005 to the Avalanche for Colorado’s 1st round pick(27th overall) in the 2005 Draft. Notably, that ’05 first rounder wound up being newly converted forward, Joe Finley. So, in essence, the Capitals wound up with Brooks Laich and Joe Finley for Peter Bondra. At the time of the trade most Caps fans were devastated, losing an All-Star player who had served fourteen years for the Capitals was a hard thing to swallow, yet, 5 years after the trade, it is Washington sitting atop the list of Eastern Conference contenders with a solid two-way player among the mix for a spot in the top 6 as well as a 1st round behemoth poised to crack the lineup, while the Senators have nothing to show for their acquisition of Peter Bondra. Score one for George McPhee.
The reality of the Bondra trade was that, if not for Laich’s quiet rise to success, it would have likely been regarded as a failure. Thankfully for McPhee, Brooks has continued improving his game and is now an integral piece of the Capitals.
Now entering his 6th NHL season as a 26 year old veteran, the gritty two-way winger is beginning to demonstrate his great leadership qualities. Despite being in a locker-room studded with All-Stars, the Saskatchewan native has become a favourite among team-mates and has proven to have the mettle of a true leader on the ice. Much like current Capitals captain Chris Clark, Laich’s all around versatility is his best weapon. Tough and agile, Brooks can skate, score and hit. His willingness to battle for the puck in all ends of the ice make him a leader by example and a reliable option in any given situation.
Although he struggled to improve during Glen Hanlon’s tenure behind the Caps bench, he was not alone. Most of the young stars that fill out Washington’s current lineup struggled with Hanlon’s systems and coaching styles but now thrive under Boudreau’s leadership. Laich is a prime example of that having posted back to back seasons of 20+ goals without missing a game.
When making the argument for who should be the next leader following Chris Clark, Laich’s name absolutely has to be thrown into the mix. He has the heart, passion and on-ice ability to be the future leader of the Capitals.
Entering the 2nd year of a 3 year deal that pays him $2,066, 667 million dollars per season, Brooks is completely focused on bettering his performance of 2008-2009. Facing a larger role as a top 6 forward due to the departures of Kozlov and Fedorov, the pressure will be on as Laich will figure to be a bigger part of the offense. This shouldn’t pose a big problem for the 6’2”, 210 pound left winger as more ice time will result in better numbers and a bigger reward when he hits Free Agency in the summer of 2012(if McPhee doesn’t lock him up first?).
With the ability to be an offensive threat and a shutdown winger, not many people realize how important this 2001, 6th rounder is to the Washington Capitals. An underdog candidate to be future captain of this team, Laich will need to continue to exceed expectations.
The Capitals will go as far as their superstars will take them, then it will be up to the supporting cast to put them over the top. Without an impressive year from Laich, the Capitals may not be able to make that necessary leap to Cup contender.
Brooks Laich
Drafted: Ottawa, 6th Round, 193rd Overall, 2001
Age: 26
Nationality: Canada
Stats: | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
06-07: | 73 | 8 | 10 | 18 | -2 | 29 |
07-08: | 82 | 21 | 16 | 37 | -3 | 35 |
08-09: | 82 | 23| 30 | 53 | -1 | 31 |
Player Assessment
Brooks Laich is a strong, gritty two-winger who has continuously exceeded expectations throughout his career. Keeping with that trend, Laich has managed to become a quality penalty killer and one of the few Capitals recognized as being capable of going hard into corners and making trouble in front of the other team’s net. With impressively soft hands, Laich is capable of mixing it up in difficult situations while somehow managing to be incredibly disciplined. He won’t blow anybody away with any particular skill, yet having a player with Laich’s overall prowess is something that every single coach in the league wishes they had.
Now entering the prime of his career, Brooks is going to be a very integral piece of Washington’s future success. Given his ethic of hard work and discipline, this back to back 20+ goal scorer will be counted on to be the Caps yeoman, a task that the Capitals current off-ice “ladies man” should have no problem living up to.
Goal Scoring
Despite being such a late round pick by the Sens in 2001, Brooks went on to become a point per game player in the WHL.
Scoring 202 points in 206 games split between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Seattle Thunderbirds over 3 seasons, Laich only managed to discover his scoring touch once he arrived in Seattle. Although he managed to score 51 goals in 57 games(0.90 goals per game) in the SMHL, Laich only managed 15 goals in 99 games(0.15 goals per game) with Moose Jaw. Once traded to Seattle, Brooks’ game grew in leaps and bounds. Laich racked up 22 goals in 47 games(0.46 goals per game) in ’01-02 and 41 goals in 60 games(0.68 goals per game) in ’02-03, a season which earned him the honor of MVP in the WHL’s Western Conference.
Once he turned Pro it was a different story as Laich struggled through his first 151 games in the NHL, scoring only 15 goals(0.09 goals per game). Although Brooks found some success in the AHL, scoring 39 goals in his 144 career appearances(0.27 goals per game) split between Binghamton, Portland and Hershey, it was not until Bruce Boudreau took over behind the Capitals bench that Laich became a potential scoring weapon.
Having matured considerably under a greater role, Laich has posted two consecutive complete 82 game seasons while scoring 21 and 23 goals, respectively(0.26 and 0.28 goals per game).
Although he doesn’t fall into the realm of the many gifted, elite snipers on the Capitals, Laich is molding himself into a cross between current team-mates Chris Clark and Mike Knuble.
With 44 goals in his last 164 games(0.27 goals per game), Laich is proving to be a rare commodity in today’s NHL, a solid and disciplined two-way forward who can score in clutch situations(7 of his 44 goals in the last 2 years have been game winners).
With expectations of an even greater role and increased ice-time, it’s safe to say that Laich will be counted on for another 20 goals, at least, again this year. Given how durable Brooks has been over the last 2 seasons it’s a safe bet that Laich will increase his goal totals slightly this year if he plays another 82 games.
If Brooks can play a 3rd straight season of 82 games, I expect him to score at a pace of between 0.28 and 030 goals per game in 2009-2010. That would translate into 23-25 goals. Anything above those numbers would be a true bonus.
Set-Up Man
Much is made of Laich’s ability to muck it up in front of the net and his knack of scoring at clutch moments, but many people overlook Laich’s ability to help create offense.
Brooks racked up 124 assists in 206 games in the WHL(0.61 assists per game), 37 assists in 144 games in the AHL(0.26 assists per game) and 71 assists in 315 NHL games(0.22 assists per game) thus far.
It is interesting to note that Laich’s average assist totals have dropped throughout his playing career, yet when we take a closer look at how Brooks has fared during his NHL career, it is plain to see that his on-ice vision is clearly getting better.
After years of 14 assists in 73 games in ’05-06(0.19 assists per game) and 10 assists in 73 games in ’06-07(0.14 assists per game) for Washington, Laich has improved in the last two seasons posting 16 assists in 82 games in ’07-08(0.20 assists per game) and 30 assists in 82 games in ’08-09(0.37 assists per game).
The dramatic improvement has led to Laich being included on both special team units as well being a late game option, both offensively and defensively.
Given that Laich seems to be only getting better in recent years, I would expect the improvement to continue.
If he plays 82 games, I expect Brooks to post a slight improvement on his assist totals from last season. Expect between 0.40 and 0.45 assists per game from Laich in ’09-10 which would translate into between 33 and 37 assists.
Iron Man
As mentioned, Laich is recognized for being a gritty player who does not shy away from playing rough in the corners and in front of other team’s nets, what makes him remarkable is the fact that he has been a main-stay during his tenure with the Caps, missing only 18 games over the span of 4 seasons with Washington.
Back-to-back seasons of 73 games followed by back-to-back seasons of 82 games make Brooks one of the most durable Caps on the ice.
At 6’2”. 210 pounds, the left winger is not known for being injury prone, but given the fact that he does like to mix it up and play a physical brand of hockey it’s hard to imagine Laich being impervious from everything.
It’s an easy guess to say that Laich will play between 73 and 82 games this season, given that he has never played less than 73, but injuries are always possible. A current ironman for the Caps, I expect Laich to complete a 3rd full season of 82 games in ’09-10, although missing a game or 2 might be possible.
Plus or Minus?
Laich is a -16 in 315 NHL career games. Not exactly impressive, but it is worth noting that due to the fact that Laich sees ice time in all situations he is more prone to being involved in more odd-man scenarios(ie. Following a power-play or a penalty kill).
Actually, not since his days with the Portland Pirates has Laich been a plus player.
But that is expected to change.
In his last 237 games(the last 3 seasons), Laich has managed a respectable -6 total.
-2 in ’06-07, -3 in ’07-08 and -1 in ’08-09.
His +/- figures are compromised due to his lack of playing time with the top two lines, but things will be different in ’09-10 as Laich is set to skate on the 2nd line and will likely get even more power play time. Although Brooks kills penalties and often shadows opponents top players, more opportunities to make an offensive impact will certainly give a positive boost to his +/- totals. Unless he falls back into a checking role, I expect Laich to post his first plus season as a member of the Capitals, between +6 and +10. Although he won’t finish with a high +/- like Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green, there is a good chance he could surpass single digits.
The Tough Guy
He is gritty and willing to get his nose dirty, yet Brooks Laich is definitely not a liability.
During his 5 years in the NHL, Laich has actually racked up more points than he has penalty minutes, having only 123 penalty minutes in 315 games.
Given that he plays a role that demands a physical and aggressive style, it is rather amazing to note that Laich averages only a shade over 20 minutes in the box per season, certainly worthy of a compliment. Not that I expect Laich’s game will change, but as I have mentioned, with an increased role it will only be logical to assume an increase in all of his numbers, penalty minutes are not exception.
Laich has averaged 30.25 penalty minutes per season over the last 4 years, only 0.16 penalty minutes per game.
Discipline is not a problem for Brooks, but it will be safe to imagine Laich mixing it up a bit more this season. I expect Laich to set a new career high in penalty minutes, surpassing his career high of 35 minutes accumulated in ’07-08. In my opinion, Brooks will break 40 minutes in penalties this year.
Player Summary
The first player that I have profiled that does not essentially embody a make-or-break player on the Capitals roster, Brooks Laich may be the most underrated component to Washington’s success.
His size and scoring touch provide Bruce Boudreau with an excellent secondary weapon behind the first wave of snipers and Laich’s discipline, ability to kill penalties and shutdown players make Brooks a true diamond in the rough.
He has developed tremendously over the last two seasons and is growing into a strong leader on this young Capitals team. Having exceeded expectations since being a late draft pick in 2001, Laich has all the tools to become one of the game’s strongest two-way threats.
McPhee got a steal when he traded Peter Bondra for Brooks Laich, but no one would have ever guessed it. 5 years later, it’s nice to know that the long shot taken on Brooks has begun to pay off.
He may not wear the “C” just yet, but that does not mean that Laich is not one of the leaders in Washington. For those who ‘Rock the Red’ in hopes of seeing a Stanley Cup banner hanging from the rafters of the Verizon Center one day, know that it won’t be possible without a clutch player like Brooks Laich.
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Given my review of Laich’s stats and career progression, here are the numbers that I feel Brooks is capable of putting up for 2009-2010:
Stats:
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
09-10: | 82 | 25 | 36 | 61 | +8 | 43 |
Of course predicting a players statistical totals is usually a wash, but given Laich’s recent back to back 20+ goal campaigns, it’s hard to believe that, as he enters his prime, his production will fall off anytime soon.(Especially if he lands a spot in the top 6)
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