Trevor van Riemsdyk took on a much bigger role in 2021-22, and the Capitals were a better team for it.

By the Numbers

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

Trevor van Riemsdyk played in just twenty games in the abbreviated 2020-21 season, so his 72 in 2021-22 was a major promotion in usage. I think TvR excelled in his bigger role. Although the Capitals were narrowly outscored during his shifts (46 to 42), opponents had to outscore their expected-goals rate by 0.5 per hour to do so.

Here’s a HockeyViz heatmap of from where opponents shot while TvR was on the ice. The big blue blobs mean opponents shot less from that location.

That’s some reliable defensive play, and although he offsets it with some diminishment in team offense, van Riemsdyk’s utility as a shutdown defender is clear. There’s a persistent suggestion that he and John Carlson (although both righties) could pair well together. I wish the team would give it more of a look next season.

According to Orson Welles

TvR on RMNB

• TvR debuted this season in his off-hand side.
• In a November game, he had to play a bit as a forward too.
• Early in December, TvR went on COVID protocol.
• And in March he got banged up in a game against the Hurricanes, returning on April Fools Day.
• On holding a players-only meeting in April: “I think [players-only meetings] can be really effective this time of the year.”

Your Turn

Is handedness a showstopper for a potential TvR-Carlson pairing?

Read more: Japers Rink