This is the follow up post to the mid-term rankings I did at the all-star break. This will show how the player has progressed since the mid-term and give a final grade for their season. I will use the same grading scale as last time, A-F. I included players who played in at least 20 NHL games. You can see the mid-term report here.
Forwards
Cam Atkinson – A+
Cam had another very good season. He scored a career high 27 goals, five more than last season. He also had a career high 26 assists, eight more than his previous high set last season. Cam was one of just 22 right-wingers to score 50 points, and one of just 15 to score 25 goals. He is one of the best in the league at his position and that’s why he gets the A+.
Brandon Saad – A+
I took some heat for giving Saad an A+ rating in the mid-term, but am standing by that ranking here. He came to the Jackets with plenty of expectations and I believe he met those lofty expectations. He emerged this season as a sniper scoring 30 goals for the first time in his career. He was one of just 28 players to hit that mark this season. To do that without guys like Kane and Towes setting him, makes it all the more impressive.
Brandon Dubinsky – A
Dubinsky had another very good underrated season. He was fifth on the team in points with 48 and second with 31 assists. He was a key factor in helping both Boone Jenner and Cam have career seasons. Those three were the best line for this team most of the season. He took on the toughest zone starts and still managed to break even in possession.
Boone Jenner – A
Boone gets an A as he posted his best season in the NHL. He played in all 82 games scoring 30 goals and adding 19 assists. It was a very impressive season for a player who is only 22 years old. What keeps Boone from getting that A+ is that he didn’t have the underlying numbers to support his breakout season. He finished with just a 46.65% Corsi which was 11th among Jacket forwards who played 20+ games. He had a good season but there is still plenty of room to grow.
Alexander Wennberg – B+
Wennberg took a big step forward this season, doubling his point total from last season. He was one of just 15 players aged 21 or younger to score 40 points. What keeps Wennberg from receiving a higher grade was his lack of goal scoring. Of that group of 15, Wennberg was the only forward to not score double digit goals. Wennberg just doesn’t shoot the puck enough; he averaged only 1.41 shots a game, the second lowest among the 15. If he can become more than just a pure playmaker he's could be a very good player.
William Karlsson – B
Karlsson drops down a grade from the mid-term. He continued to be a go to player defensively, averaging the most PK time among the forwards. He scored 20 points this season which is fine for a bottom six player. He played very little on the power play which limited his offensive chances. For his first full time season in the NHL he performed very well.
Nick Foligno – C+
When looking at his raw production Foligno had a down year. His stats across the board are not just down from last year, but down from his career average. The good news is it doesn’t look like his skills have deteriorated. He led the team in Corsi% at 51.90%. He still generated plenty of scoring chances. With some better luck he should be in for a bounce back next season.
Scott Hartnell – C+
Hartnell had a great first half, but really struggled down the stretch. It felt like he was stuck on 299 goals for ever. From October to December Hartnell had 28 points in 38 games. From January to April he had 21 points in 41 games. March was a particularly poor month as Hartnell had just one goal in 13 games as his shooting percentage dipped to 4.8%. Whether he pressing to get his 300th goal or if the trade rumors were affecting him I don’t know but every other month his SH% was in double digits.
Matt Calvert – C
Calvert is a very good bottom six player. He's reliable defensively and can chip in offense. He had 11 goals and 24 points this season. He was one of the most trusted penalty killers under John Tortorella, averaging the second most ice time behind Karlsson. If the Jackets can add a couple more players like Calvert it would give their bottom six a big boost.
Gregory Campbell – D+
Campbell gets a bump from a D as he gets credit for playing all 82 games. He was one of just three Jackets to do that this season. He gets the D+ grade as he wasn’t that good in those games. The fourth line was bad all year and he was a big reason why.
Kerby Rychel – D
Rychel had a rough go this year. From his trade request, to getting called up only to play less than 10 minutes a game, to be being sent back down for good at the trade deadline. He had nine points in 32 games, spending most his time on the fourth line. He was dragged down by guys like Campbell and Jared Boll, with some better line mates Rychel could have had a much better season.
Jared Boll – F
I've beaten this drum all season. I don’t think Boll is a very good hockey player. The team does far better when he's on the bench (or in the press box) than when he's on the ice.
Rene Bourque – F
The Rene Bourque top six experiment didn’t last long and by the second half of the season he was firmly entrenched on the fourth line. Much like with Boll the Jackets did much better when Bourque was on the bench.
David Clarkson – F
Clarkson’s season can really only be described as disastrous. He spent most of the season injured only playing 23 games, and in those games he didn’t do much at all. There you have it final grades for the forward group. Up next will be the defencemen and goalies.
Stats courtesy of War On Ice.
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