The prevailing opinion in the Caps organization seems to be that Jakub Vrana had an uneven 2016-17 season. The young forward had two stints in Washington, the first of which many thought was strong. However, his second time ended when he seemed to hit a wall. It’s hard to say whether Vrana did hit a wall or whether this was just a part of ups and downs that every player goes through over the course of the season.

The Caps are set to lose a lot of talent at forward this offseason. Vrana has a higher upside than any other player in the organization that may be asked to fill some of those spots next season. Because of this upside, it’d be smart for the Caps to give him a longer leash in 2017-18.

By The Numbers

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows various metrics for the player over the course of the 2016-17 season. A short description of each chart:

1. Most common teammates during 5-on-5
2. Ice time per game, split up by game state
3. 5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
4. 5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
5. Individual scoring events by the player
6. 5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Pat’s Take

There’s been plenty written about why Vrana may not be ready for a full-time role in DC next season. Troy Mann didn’t hide his criticism of what he perceived to be an uneven season for Vrana in Hershey. In his end of season remarks, Brian MacLellan seemed to express some doubt as to whether Vrana will be able to earn a spot on the Caps next season.

Honestly, all of the remarks about Vrana’s play, while maybe true, seem to fall back on the same generic criticisms of young, offensively gifted players. Their consistency and “200-foot game” is often questioned. Lack of size, physicality, and board play is sprinkled in sometimes too. I’m not suggesting that none of this is true or that it can’t be accurately applied to Vrana. But I am suggesting that sometimes talent evaluators seem to lose sight of the big picture when making these kind of critiques.

That bigger picture is, despite any flaws, real or perceived, whether Vrana can be a net-positive for the Caps. Forget the naysayers, let’s focus on the positive and take a look at why I think Vrana, if the Caps are patient with him, can be a net positive for the team next season:

• He ranked 9th among all Caps skater last season with a 54.5 shot attempt percentage. This was better than players such as Kuznetsov, Oshie, Ovechkin, and Backstrom. His relative shot attempt percentage was plus-1.8 percent.
• The Caps were also above water in scoring chances when Vrana was on the ice at 51.6 percent. His relative scoring chance percentage was plus-2.0 percent.
• The Caps generated 64.5 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play with Vrana on the ice. This high-octane pace was only bested by Burakovsky.
• The Caps need forwards who generate shots. While he’s not dynamite in this area, Vrana has shown some promise, ranking 7th among 15 Caps forwards with 11.2 shots per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play.

There are definitely valid concerns about Vrana’s game. But there’s also plenty to like about the way he played during his brief time in DC last season. It would be nice if the team highlighted those things and gave him the chance to inject some skill into the forward group next season.

Vrana on RMNB

• Ian was kind enough to capture every goal Vrana scored for Hershey in the first half of the season.
• Vrana’s got his first NHL call-up on November 30, while Oshie was out with a shoulder injury. But he almost missed the call altogether due to a heavy nap.
• Vrana’s first NHL game started the away it was supposed to: with hazing.

• RMNB alum Kyle Mace played FIFA with Vrana and Vitacek. They got wrecked by some online rando.

• Here are the pint glasses the Bears gave away in honor of Vrana, who is not old enough to drink beer in the US.

• On December 9, Vrana scored his first NHL goal, a power-play marker thanks to Kuznetsov.

.@JVranaa‘s first of many. Congrats, Jakub! #CapsSabres #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/z0BxBzLTjr

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 10, 2016

• And you know what comes next: shaving-cream pie to the face, courtesy of one Tom Wilson, who knows how bad those things can sting your eyes.
• You could argue that Vrana was more amped about his first assist than his first goal. Look at the unbridled joy on his face – especially compared to Connolly, who is smoldering.

• February was nuts for Vrana. Troy Mann scratched him in Hershey one week; the next he’s playing in Washington.
• Vrana supported the Wiz on Czech heritage night. What up, Tomas Satoransky.

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Your Turn

What did you think about Vrana’s time in DC in 2016-17? What do you think next season has in store for him?

Read more: Japers’ Rink, Stars and Sticks

Headline photo: Capitals