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Caps News and Notes: Carlson 2nd place for Norris?

September 23, 2020, 11:19 AM ET [1 Comments]
Brian Sickles
Washington Capitals Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Hello,

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying what looks to be shaping up as a fantastic Stanley Cup Final. A few updates from Caps world:

1. John Carlson finished second in the Norris Trophy race – This was a complete shock to me but as I took a look at the numbers, I can understand why some people voted for Josi over Carlson. Carlson offensively was 10 points ahead of Josi and having a historic year compared to all defenseman. With 75 points in 69 games, Carlson was averaging 1.09 points per game which was on pace for 90 points in 82 games. The last time a defenseman scored 90 points in a season was 27 years ago in 1993-1994 by Ray Bourque. Being that the award is for best defenseman not best offensive defenseman, I can see where Carlson lost some votes. When you dive into the numbers, he was just a slightly above average defender at best. Just comparing against his Capitals teammates, Carlson ranked 9th in shots attempts against and SOG per 60min. He was 8th in scoring chances against per 60min. He was 6th in high danger chances against per 60min. Lastly, he was 9th in goal expected against per 60min. Reminder, these are stats against his own teammates. I do not even know where he ranked in league among those categories. To put it plainly, he was a defensive liability more often than not. Since this is a defensive award, I do feel this is where Carlson lost the Trophy.

2. Caps GM Brian MacLellan expects Holtby to test UFA Market: In a recent interview during the Laviolette introduced presser, MacLellan was asked about Braden Holtby’s future and he said, “I would expect him to go to free agency”. Well there you have it! It will be sad to see Holtby go but I am very excited to see what Samsonov can do with more starts.

3. Ilya Samsonov receives Calder Trophy Votes: Samsonov finished 12th in Calder Trophy votes. He also finished third in goaltenders for the all-rookie team.

4. John Carlson made NHL’s First-Team All Star Team

5. Ovechkin still getting Hart Trophy Votes: For the 14th time in his 15-year career, Ovechkin earned votes for the Hart Trophy. He finished 13th in the final votes. It is simply incredible what he can do at his age.

There is nothing else super major out there in Caps world. Daniel Sprong and Brian Pinho both signed two-year contracts with the Caps. Not sure if they will see much playing time but this these are good low investment signings that have higher ceiling outcomes. The team needs to bolster 3rd and 4th line scoring. Whether that depth comes from the UFA pool or internal prospects, remains to be seen. The Caps will have a little wiggle room to play with their roster since they are saving money by letting Holtby walk.

Thanks for reading! Go Caps!

Stats provided by:
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/
https://www.hockey-reference.com/
https://hockeyviz.com/
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