Martin Fehervary might be the least understood player on the Capitals roster.
By the Numbers
5
Goals
22
Assists
81
Games played
19
Minutes per game
On-ice percentages
47%
Shot attempts
49%
Expected goals
53%
Actual goals
Isolated Impact by HockeyViz
About this visualization: This image by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows how the player has impacted play when on the ice. At the top of the image is the team’s offense (even strength at left, power play at right) and at bottom is the team’s defense (with penalty kill at bottom right). In each case, red/orange blobs mean teams shoot for more from that location on the ice, and blue/purple means less. In general, a good player should have red/orange blobs near the opponent’s net at top, and blue/purple blobs near their own team’s net at bottom. The distributions in middle show how the player compares to league average at individual finishing, setting up teammates to score, and taking and drawing penalties. The number at center is Synthetic Goals: a catch-all number for the player’s impact.
Player Card by Evolving Hockey
About this player card: This card from Josh and Luke of Evolving Hockey compares the player to league averages based on their impact on on-ice statistics. GAR means “goals above replacement,” where “replacement” means an average player called up from the AHL. xGAR is the same figure but assuming league-average goaltending. The numbers at top are the player’s percentile ranks overall and then for offense and defense alone.
Player Overview by NHL Edge
About this visualization: The NHL’s advanced statistics program, Edge, tracks player and puck movement. The player’s shot speed, skating speed, and skating distance are at top along with percentile rank. At bottom left is a shot location map, and at bottom right is zone time per zone.
Gratuitous Generative Art by Peter
Peter’s Take
Fehervary was effectively a top-pairing defender for the Capitals all season, skating 498 minutes with John Carlson before Carlson’s trade to Anaheim. That’s a tough gig: big minutes partnered with an offensive defender with obvious shortcomings without the puck. That pairing was a tremendous success: 32 Caps goals to 17 for opponents. Whether it was a synergy of skills or whatever else, Marty-Carly worked.
In the 399 minutes Fehervary played without Carlson, the Caps controlled 43.6 percent of the shot attempts and got outscored 31 goals to 22. This is the important context for Fehervary because it’s the one more like his future. He played with everyone down the stretch: McIlrath, Roy, Sandin, so it’s hard to isolate anything in that performance. We can just say it’s bad, and then worry for what next season will bring.
Fehervary signed a big extension last year, and I’m scared for what follows. Away from the lightning rod of criticism that was John Carlson, Fehervary might get exposed. He needs to evolve his game.
Marty Party on RMNB
- Last July, Marty signed a seven-year deal worth $6M per.
- vs Logan Stankoven. Of the fight, Stankoven said, “Honestly, I really enjoyed it.”
- Martin Fehervary missed Capitals game against Hurricanes for the birth of his first child
- Martin Fehervary becomes a believer in ‘Dad Strength’ after scoring in first game following daughter’s birth
- Olympics rundown!
- Fehervary was the alternate captain of Slovakia’s Olympic team
- They lost 6-2 to Team USA
- And finished fourth after losing Bronze Medal Game to Finland
- On their underdog performance: “We were just enjoying the time together and battling for each other”
- Marty on the Tkachuk brothers, after a whole thing near their locker room: “Everyone knows what they are like.”
Your Turn
What made Carlson-Fehervary work, if it wasn’t just the Carlson part?
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