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Trevor Lewis #22
Age: 27
Contract status: $1.525M AAV through 2015-16
Stats:
Other stats:
Corsi for: 53.4%
Corsi relative: -5.0%
Faceoffs: 48.5%
Goals for relative: -14.2%
5-on-5 Shooting percentage: 3.5%
Penalties drawn/taken: 21/3
Defensive zone starts: 40.3%
His season
It can definitely be hard to appreciate Trevor Lewis.
Why? Easy.
He had no points through the first 28 games of the season while being a -3 rating. He also didn't score his first goal(s) until 38 games in when he potted a pair against St. Louis on January 16th. That game would surmount to a third of his total goals on the season. His 5-on-5 shooting percentage was just about the worst on the team at 3.5%. His corsi and fenwick numbers are also both pretty suspect at 5-on-5. Granted, it is a 4th line so it isn't as if they are eating up a ton of minutes. Nonetheless, when Clifford, Lewis, and Nolan were on the ice the Kings definitely had some trouble getting the puck and creating chances. In terms of creating chances, Lewis surprisingly had the most chances generated amongst his 4th line brethren. Breakaways anyone? There seems to be a classic quip about Lewis that goes around on twitter every time he misses an opportunity that if he had hands he would be a 40 goal scorer. It definitely is a bit of an exaggeration, but when you look at the fact that his standard rate fenwick for, corsi for, and shots for per game averaged over 60 minutes in all situations are higher than Anze Kopitar, Dwight King, Jarret Stoll, and on par with Mike Richards ...that's just...
So where is the inherent problem with Lewis? Well, it simply seems that he didn't finish the opportunities he was presented with. As mentioned already his shooting percentage was terribly low on the season. While it normally isn't great regardless, that does factor into it. Also, he is skating on the 4th line, normally with Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan, so the chances generated more than likely will go unfinished. There is also the issue of it being a standard rate on a small sample size of minutes for Lewis. While averaging about 13 minutes a game, those numbers could drop off dramatically if he were to play around 18-20 against tougher opponents. All that should be taken into consideration. Towards the end of the year and in the playoffs he also moved to wing and allowed Mike Richards to pick up the centerman detail. Even then his limited minutes coupled with a lack of finish from he and his linemates hurt his chances on cashing in on his generated shots and chances.
So where does Lewis make that $1.5MM contract? Well, he is a pretty stalwart penalty killer. He averages about two minutes a night on the PK, which is a decent amount when you think about how long PK shifts tend to last and how many you get a night. He was also second amongst forwards behind Jarret Stoll in shots blocked. Strangely enough, he is also a much better faceoff taker on the PK then even strength, going near 57% on the PK while winning only 48% at even strength. These all might be just anomalous happenings, but Lewis is definitely in interesting case once you get down to the nitty gritty. He was also a fairly solid playoff performer in 3 of the 4 series (Chicago series he was destroyed), most notably the finals.
If you can get past the production woes of Trevor Lewis on the season he definitely had a decent defensive oriented year. There aren't that many fourth line guys who make as little as he does that play as solid situationally and on the penalty kill. He also had the most highest percentage of defensive zone starts of any King center. Nonetheless, there are a lot of really odd stats that you can't help but ignore when it comes to 22. Maybe some of it was bad luck, slumps, underperforming line as a whole, or the fact that the Kings don't really protect his minutes that much. Be that as it may, it was another very Trevor Lewisy sort of year from Trevor Lewis.
Moving Forward
It seems I always say it with Lewis after every season, "Well, next year he'll have his mini breakout year." And it seems entirely plausible when you look at the numbers and recall all the glorious opportunities which either rolled off his stick, bruised the goalies sternum, or scared a group of people behind the glass in the front row. Just 11 points and six goals doesn't seem to do justice to Lewis. However, year after year it's just about the same from the 27-year old. Just over ten points, just around five goals. His shooting percentages remain woefully low despite a number of chances, and yet I am still waiting for a regression that has yet to come. Maybe it is finally time to set the drink down and believe that this is Trevor Lewis. He is what he is.
He's doing what he does.
Every team needs a Trevor Lewis to a degree. A decently low-risk forward, who is somewhat cheap by new NHL standards, and can give you some solid situational minutes. If you look at Lewis as a situational forward he's not bad. It only gets confusing when you throw in some of his non situational stuff and question whether or not he should be better.
The question remains though, how long can Lewis sustain being what he is and not get replaced? There are a number of prospects the Kings have coming up with similar skill sets. Nick Shore, Jordan Weal and Andy Andreoff are just a few names that are being held off the lineup with Lewis on the 4th line. You have to wonder if there is going to be a transitional period here where Lewis starts getting platooned more on the 4th line wing in order to get a player like Andreoff some NHL time. After all, the Kings seemed contented in playing Kopitar/Carter/Stoll/Richards down the middle for a while, which relegated Lewis to the wing. A wing is much more easily replaced than a center. Even then, the Kings have a young defensive specialist in Shore up and coming in the minors.
You can definitely justify and appreciate Lewis being amongst the LA Kings forwards for now. However, in the long term outlook you could speculate about his days being somewhat numbered. Maybe this is the year though that he shakes off the greyscale (GoT anyone?) and pots 10-15 goals. My brain says no chance but my heart says hopefully.
Overall it was a fairly average year for a player who works very hard, does a lot of little things right, but falls victim to his shortcomings at times. You can't help but appreciate the niceties that Lewis brings to the table despite his difficulties finding the back of the net. A C seems a just rating to me, but maybe I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt because we share a last name. Let me know what you think on this one.
Final Grade: C
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