Jason Chimera is one of the Capitals’ most clutch playoff players, but it’s hard to paint his 2014-15 regular season as anything but a disappointment. With Chimera entering final year of his contract, next season will be an important transition for both Chimmer and the Caps. So what matters more going forward: that rough regular season or the postseason production?

By the Numbers

Chimera’s on-ice shot-attempt percentage in 10-game running segments, according to War on Ice:

Peter’s Take

Jason Chimera had a rough season. He finished at the bottom of the team in puck possession (measured using 5v5 shot attempt percentage). If you don’t believe in possession, he also finished near the bottom of the team in goal percentage. It seems like the speed demon lost a step this season, which combined with one egregious penalty in early December, earned Chimera the ignominy of a public scratch for the first time since the Erat trade. Chimera ended the regular season with his lowest goal total for a full season in a decade.

And yet, once the playoffs arrived, Chimera continued his tradition of being positively lethal against teams from New York. With three goals and four assists in the playoffs, Chimera was disgustingly clutch.

That puts us in a bit of a tough situation if we’re evaluating him. Those playoff goals were immensely important, but his regular season performance was straight-up dismal. Do those playoff goals imply better production is coming next season, or does his 2014-15 regular season campaign presage more trouble in 2015-16? With a Capitals team blooming with talented young forwards, what will be the role of the team’s oldest player?

I used rhetorical questions in that last paragraph because I think I already know the answer, and it’s depressing.

Chim-dog on RMNB

• Like a kid learning to drive stick, let’s start with the clutch— like this wonderful playoff goal on the otherwise nigh-perfect Lundqvist.
• Here’s another stupid clutch goal, and here’s an on-point tweet by Ian.

Fun Fact: 7 of Jason Chimera's 9 career playoff goals have come against New York hockey teams.

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) April 18, 2015

• A dumb penalty in December landed Jason Chimera in the doghouse. Trotz on that game: “The only thing I’m disappointed in is the bad penalty at the end. A bad, unnecessary penalty that cost us a point. Definitely unnecessary. We’ll address that tomorrow with that individual.” That individual got scratched.
• Are you anti-fighting? Me too. Are you at least a little ambivalent about it when Chimera knocks out Zac Rinaldo? Me too.

• For a sudden change in topic, Jason’s son, Cale Chimera, is adorable.
• Chimera broke his nose at the end of October. I leave you now with a menagerie of broken-nose images.

Your Turn

How best do you balance the veteran presence of Chimera, in his final contract year, with the emerging youth of this organization? Some healthy scratches seem inevitable, but how many?

Read more: Japers Rink