Conor Sheary has an undeniable offensive touch, but he’ll need a boost to keep reaching those goal-scoring heights.
By the Numbers
| 71 | games played |
| 15.3 | time on ice per game |
| 19 | goals |
| 24 | assists |
| 50.0 | 5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage |
| 49.3 | 5-on-5 expected goal percentage |
| 48.8 | 5-on-5 goal percentage |
Visualization by HockeyViz
About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over 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
Fan Happiness Survey
About this visualization: At three times during the season, RMNB shared an open survey with fans, asking the following question for each player:
On a scale from 1 to 5, how HAPPY are you to have this player on the team?
1 means VERY UNHAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM
2 means UNHAPPY
3 means NEITHER HAPPY NOR UNHAPPY
4 means HAPPY
5 means VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM
The numbers above show the average score for the player in each survey period.
Peter’s Take
Conor Sheary’s career high in goals was 23 in 2016-17, when he took shifts with Sidney Crosby. A half decade later and with less Crosby-y linemates, Sheary put up 19 goals in a middle-six assignment. He drew 16 penalties while committing just seven, and he had a higher point rate than any full-time Cap except Ovechkin.
And he did it all despite being 5’8″.
Okay, I admit we go to the “he’s short” well too often, but it is a curiosity that a player so physically different from the Protases and Wilsons of the league can still be deadly effective on offense.
Though that’s not to say Sheary is a particularly effective driver of play. HockeyViz regards his impact on both sides of the ice as negative (more opponent shot danger, less Capitals shot danger). And Sheary’s most common linemates seemed to control the puck better (see the shot-attempt percentages below) when they weren’t paired with him.
(That Backstrom row is kind of interesting though.)
I’m not sure what the right role for Sheary is. I know he’s not a viable full-time right winger for the Ovechkin line. He’s not going to grind either. But he’s an interesting player with apparent talent, and I hope the Capitals can get some more value out of his last season on his contract.
According to Orson Welles
Shears on RMNB
- In November, an upper-body injury to Sheary cut short his stint with the top line.
- On January 15, Sheary entered COVID protocol.
- By March, Sheary got another look with Ovechkin and company.
- On March 18, Sheary scored the second earliest empty-net goal in NHL history.
Your Turn
What line do you want Sheary on, and how many goals do you expect from him next season?
Read more: Japers Rink
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