Fourth liner Alex Chiasson scored just enough to keep himself in the lineup.
By The Numbers
| 61 | games played |
| 11.8 | time on ice per game |
| 9 | goals |
| 9 | assists |
| 44.2 | 5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted |
| 47.1 | 5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted |
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 season. A short description of each chart:
- Most common teammates during 5-on-5
- Ice time per game, split up by game state
- 5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
- 5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
- Individual scoring events by the player
- 5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts
Peter’s Take
When he was signed, Alex Chiasson was a low-risk experiment for the Capitals. Chiasson had been a bottom-sixer throughout his career, but recording 12 goals and 12 assists from there last season with the Flames gave him some luster. And that’s roughly what the Caps got. Chiasson recorded 9 goals and 9 assists on a fourth line that struggled throughout the season. And while the underlying pattern of his play was not good – the team was badly outshot with 43.5 percent of shot attempts – a high shooting percentage kept Chiasson’s shifts from being a fiasco on the scoreboard.
Depth was always the Caps’ problem in 2017-18, but I doubt that Chiasson was the cause of it. While he’s a marginal player overall, he’s also a bit of a sniper. His overall shot rate is low, but he takes a disproportionate amount of them from high-danger areas. From hockeyviz:
Chiasson’s 15.3 percent shooting was high, but it’s not all luck. I don’t think Chiasson will or should be back with the Caps next season, but I think I see what the Caps saw last summer. There’s some edge to Chiasson’s game, some danger that makes him more interesting and more special than just some swappable part. He’s a champion now, and I hope he gets another crack at it.
Chiasson on RMNB
Friends, let’s be real. We don’t have a ton of content about Alex Chiasson.
- Like. Here’s this. Is this anything?
- And then, um, six months later, Chiasson scored this goal because Matt Murray isn’t MAF.
- Chiasson was the setup man on this very-un-fourth-line DSP goal in the Tampa series. This is a beaut.
Okay, that’s it.
Your Turn
I got nothing. You got anything?
Read more: Japers’ Rink
Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk
