Tom Wilson will make his long awaited season debut tonight, skating on the third line alongside Brett Connolly and Lars Eller. He will presumably return to the top penalty killing unit as well, although Devante Smith-Pelly has certainly made his mark. In what promises to be a pivotal year for Mr. Wilson, fresh off of a suspension and making his season debut in Game 5, will need to finally justify his draft ranking.
Wilson was drafted 16th overall in 2012, just 5 slots behind a certain player who shan't be named, and was expected to bring a heavy game with offensive flair. He followed up with 58 points in 2013, alongside 17 points in 12 OHL playoff games before making his NHL debut in the playoffs of that year in dramatic fashion.
He immediately made himself into a household name as a physical presence, sparking an ongoing rivalry with Brayden Schenn (then of Philadelphia), and drew the ire of just about everyone in the league for his explosive (yet clean!) bodychecks. However, the Capitals did not draft a 4th line goon; they drafted a power forward in the same vein as Milan Lucic or Rick Tocchet. Or so they thought.
Wilson's offensive game has not yet developed. Although he has become a reliable two-way forward, even singlehandedly having the shift of the playoffs, he leaves us wanting more. Needing more, actually. With the departure of Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson, Wilson will be relied upon to add some offense to his game - or he will likely go the way of the dodo. Fan favorite or not, he has tremendous trade value (Las Vegas anybody?), and the team will eventually run out of patience and cut ties.
With that said, we expect Wilson to get a healthy dose of ice time this season, in all-situations, even turning in a few powerplay shifts. Starting tonight, of course.
Speaking of tonight, here are the predictions:
1. Marcus Johansson will immediately make us regret trading him
This isn't so much a prediction as an admission. Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, and Dmitry Orlov all deserved huge pay raises, and no one can fault them for taking their deals. But we can still be upset that Johansson had to leave as a cap casualty. We wish Marcus all the best. Well, at least for 78 games.
2. Braden Holtby will show us why he is the best goaltender in the world
Facing a tough test on the road against an upstart New Jersey Devils squad, Holtby will rise to the occasion. After yet another hard loss to the Penguins, he should bounce back immediately, like he consistently has throughout his career. During his dominating three year run, he has only followed up a loss with another loss 16 times. In 202 starts. This trend will continue tonight.
3. The special teams will bounce back
Looking for a spark following Wednesday's abortion of a special teams performance, the Capitals will look to get back to what they do best: dominate. After mustering a paltry 5 shots on 4 powerplays, and allowing 3 powerplay goals, there is plenty of room for improvement. We should see that tonight.
Wilson was drafted 16th overall in 2012, just 5 slots behind a certain player who shan't be named, and was expected to bring a heavy game with offensive flair. He followed up with 58 points in 2013, alongside 17 points in 12 OHL playoff games before making his NHL debut in the playoffs of that year in dramatic fashion.
He immediately made himself into a household name as a physical presence, sparking an ongoing rivalry with Brayden Schenn (then of Philadelphia), and drew the ire of just about everyone in the league for his explosive (yet clean!) bodychecks. However, the Capitals did not draft a 4th line goon; they drafted a power forward in the same vein as Milan Lucic or Rick Tocchet. Or so they thought.
Wilson's offensive game has not yet developed. Although he has become a reliable two-way forward, even singlehandedly having the shift of the playoffs, he leaves us wanting more. Needing more, actually. With the departure of Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson, Wilson will be relied upon to add some offense to his game - or he will likely go the way of the dodo. Fan favorite or not, he has tremendous trade value (Las Vegas anybody?), and the team will eventually run out of patience and cut ties.
With that said, we expect Wilson to get a healthy dose of ice time this season, in all-situations, even turning in a few powerplay shifts. Starting tonight, of course.
Speaking of tonight, here are the predictions:
1. Marcus Johansson will immediately make us regret trading him
This isn't so much a prediction as an admission. Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, and Dmitry Orlov all deserved huge pay raises, and no one can fault them for taking their deals. But we can still be upset that Johansson had to leave as a cap casualty. We wish Marcus all the best. Well, at least for 78 games.
2. Braden Holtby will show us why he is the best goaltender in the world
Facing a tough test on the road against an upstart New Jersey Devils squad, Holtby will rise to the occasion. After yet another hard loss to the Penguins, he should bounce back immediately, like he consistently has throughout his career. During his dominating three year run, he has only followed up a loss with another loss 16 times. In 202 starts. This trend will continue tonight.
3. The special teams will bounce back
Looking for a spark following Wednesday's abortion of a special teams performance, the Capitals will look to get back to what they do best: dominate. After mustering a paltry 5 shots on 4 powerplays, and allowing 3 powerplay goals, there is plenty of room for improvement. We should see that tonight.
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