Ryan Leonard seems destined to become a star in the NHL someday, but his first full season has had its ups and downs.
Leonard had a career-best four points (2g, 2a) against the San Jose Sharks on December 3; he’s tied for sixth in scoring on the Capitals with 33 points; and, at times, has looked like a game-breaking player very much worth a top-10 pick in the draft. But his rookie season has been plagued with inconsistency, too. Leonard’s had two long goalless streaks — one 14-game drought from January 17 through February 28 and a 12-game one from October 24 through November 17. Monday’s game against the Calgary Flames was a microcosm of his entire season.
First, Leonard played a role in two shorthanded goals the Capitals allowed on the same second-period power play, allowing the Flames to tie the game 3-3 and earning loud boos from Caps fans as the players headed back to the locker room for intermission.
On Blake Coleman’s shorty, Leonard made a soft play at the blue line and turned the puck over. He then combined with Jakob Chychrun to give the Flames forward a breakaway as he raced past both of them down the ice for a layup.
Blake Coleman shorthanded goal
One minute and 16 seconds later, the Capitals gave up their second shorty, this time to Yegor Sharangovich. Chychrun left a drop pass to Leonard, who had reloaded in the opposite direction Chychrun was expecting.
The Capitals’ rookie was unable to clear the puck away from Joel Farabee along the side boards in the defensive zone, giving the hustling Flames forward a route to the net, where he hit Sharangovich wide open driving the center lane.
Yegor Sharangovich shorthanded goal
Leonard, who may have earned a benching in the third period if he were a different Capitals’ young player or if it were a different time in the season, was immediately tasked with making amends in the final frame, receiving the start on the opening faceoff. He then proceeded to be one of the best players on the ice.
In his first several shifts, Leonard hustled and created havoc in the offensive zone, generating several chances. By the time the final horn sounded in the Capitals’ 7-3 win, he had generated three individual shot attempts in the third period — all three were scoring chances, and two were of the high-danger variety.
Leonard also scored his 12th goal of the season as he played hard to the buzzer. The winger made a steal high in the defensive zone and lit the lamp on a sensational breakaway goal with 15.6 seconds remaining.
Ryan Leonard goal
The goal gave Leonard a three-game point streak — his sixth point streak of the season.
“Even the goal, I know it’s crazy to say this, the late goal for Leno, I think, is a positive because he’s frustrated, a little bit snakebitten,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “He gets a grade-A that doesn’t go for him, the power play stuff, but for him to finish there on the breakaway, even though the game’s sealed at that [point], was good to see. He gets in tight and beats Cooley with a nice move.”
As the Capitals play out the rest of their season — one that will likely see them miss the playoffs for just the fifth time in the Ovechkin Era — Leonard needs to find more consistency and further develop into a contributor night-in, night-out.
The 21-year-old forward is going to make rookie mistakes, sure, but he needs to get those out of his system now. If the Capitals are going to be a perennial playoff team in the years to come, Leonard must have more efforts like his third period against the Flames and become one of the team’s offensive leaders every night — even if it’s just shots on goal and individual shot attempts. He has the talent to be The Man. Now’s he’s just gotta do it.
