2009-10 Rink Wrap: Jason Chimera

I gave him a 6. I was hoping for maybe some more offense from him, but I didn’t expect it. He’s a known quantity, and he brought something that was sorely needed on the Caps roster … dare I say it … with aplomb.

He was both better than I expected and worse than I’d hoped, given both his positives, intangibles, and his cement hands. He brought something we desperately needed, and he’ll do it well through his contract, I think. I gave him a 6.

his speed blew me away (no pun intended) and I thought of all the mid season acquisitions he was the best. But to get higher than an 8 he would need to bury a few more of those breakaways. Perhaps a summer of slapshots at the broadside of a barn might help?

Probably at least a point too high, but I can’t help but give him an 8. I’m a softie for grinders like Chimmer.

He brought everything I expected him too, and then some. I actually didn’t expect the scoring we got from him, despite similar production in Columbus. His speed blew me away, and he consistently showed a high level of toughness and grittiness that will hopefully give this team a newfound edge.

Hovering between a 7 and an 8, I went with 8. I didn’t expect much, but far exceeded my expectations. I was hearing from Blue Jackets fans that he was somewhat inconsistent, but he brought it night in and night out.

I’m going with a 7. I thought he was a real good fit with the team, especially its up-tempo style. But I definitely feel he’s a “sell quickly” guy, because he doesn’t really bring much more than having great speed, which he won’t always have.

I’m going to look at it this way. Chimera was here not only to play LW but he also got us free from Chris Clark’s awful contract. Now back to Chimera, he was great, hands of rock, but great despite really not having a decent pivot for most of his games. He and Fehr looked good together. The thing I like most about Chimera is that you could put him on any line and he could adapt to it. He wouldn’t screw it up. I like his grit and attitude. He’s cheap. He actually pointed at a decent clip looking at his minutes played per game.

My expectations were slightly surpassed, I give a 7 for that, but for being cheap and him replacing Clark, I’ll bump it up to an 8.

8.

To get a 10 from me, he’ll have to put up 45 points as a 3rd line player and improve on his defense. I do expect him to become a staple in SH situations, we have guys for that. Soften up those hands a little.

7, He was solid and when we got him I, all I expected was that we wouldnt have to pay juice or CC anymore. We could have been getting a bag of pucks with a ~2 MM cap hit and I would have been happy. The fact that we got a solid 3rd liner made me thrilled.

He brought more speed and physicality than I thought, but didn’t contribute as much offensively as I’d expected, and yeah, hands of stone and whatnot.

For a 10 next year he needs to score 30 goals, 60 points. I’m keeping it simple. With that speed, he can do quite a bit.

Gave a 5. Expected a faster, younger Clark and that’s about what he was. For a ten next season he’ll need to replicate Clarkie’s 30 goal season.

OK, so he’s the left wing on a third line that didn’t play like a scoring line and didn’t play like a checking line, owing to a parade of centers through the middle. He comes from a system that is the “local” to one that is the “superhighway.” It might have been more suited to his speed, but still, an adjustment is necessary.

I got the feeling that for most of the 39 games he played in DC, he was acting on instinct, and not the sort that is born out intimate familiarity with schemes.

In an 82 game season, playing on a third line that (hopefully) is a little more stable, he will surpass career highs in goals (17) and assists (21) and settle in somewhere around 45 points. A ten would be 25-30-55, +20, and a couple of statement scraps.

For the talk about penalty killing, I’d be curious to see what he could do with a little time on the power play reprising the role of Tomas Holmstrom and sticking his wide body in front of goalie masks. He’s certainly ornery enough to fight for his space in deep. That’s what pre-season is for…

I voted 6, but I forgot to factor in the overall playoff failure, so I’d change my vote to a 5.

I think he is pretty much as advertised but did not expect him to be the fastest skater on the team with a great slap shot (which he hardly ever uses). But also did expect that he would be able to use his speed and finish breakaways and in close chances a little better.

I would hope that next year on a very offensive oriented team compared to Columbus that he could find his way past 20 goals.

Would have loved to have seen some goals. Only dig against the guy is his rockfists, otherwise just a tremendous addition to the team.

Chimera brought about what I expected to the team. I didn’t expect him to have great hands (I know some Jackets fans, so my expectations in this regard were in line with reality), I expected great speed, and he delivers in this regard.

He was a bit grittier than I expected, something I felt we needed. I really like the addition, and I would say he slightly exceeded my expectations, thus the 6. I’d rate the trade an easy 9, since he cost us virtually nothing, and was certainly an upgrade over Clarkie, but that alone doesn’t merit a higher score based on my expectations of his performance.

I am not familiar enough with other squads around the league to have had a solid take on what Chimmer was going to bring to the team. Sounds like speed, toughness and flexibility were about expected. I’m going to bump him up to a 7 because he fit in so well as a complementary piece on the team who can play on a variety of lines. I think chemistry can be underrated at times and Chimmer seemed generally excited to be a Cap and proved to be a powerful piece.

For those who want Chimmer to get more PK time, who will he be taking those minutes from? Isn’t part of his value that he can build up a head of steam on a long ice sheet? Does his poorer stick skills and the shorter ice sheet of killing in your own zone take away some of his gifts on the PK?

you’d think someone with “hands of stone” would be a better fighter!

that sarich jab was sneaky good, though. and it looks like the one fight chimera won as a cap was the one fight not included (vs. greg campbell).

i remember being very happy the trade went down, and looking back, chimera performed as i’d hoped: like apk3000 says above, a faster, younger, meaner version of chris clark (but not tougher, because no one was tougher than CC). his inability to finish scoring chances became very frustrating, especially with so many plum looks courtesy of his own speed and courtesy of a regular pairing with eric fehr. in response to peerless, i don’t know how you can use chimera on the PP when the primary function of holmstrom and other “wide bodies” down low is ultimately to finish off rebounds and opportune bounces.

It’s a 6, but it’s an enthusiastic 6.

I expected him to have problems fitting in, but he seemed to adjust to Washington without great difficulty. A few rocky games early, but not nearly as many as I expected. By the time he picked that fight in Toronto, I was a fan.

I also expected him to really excel in the system once he did adjust, upping his goal totals from C-bus. Granted, he scored just as much despite 2 fewer minutes a game on ice, and he got just about 0 time on the PP, but I still was hoping for more like 10-12 goals in his half season with us.

I was expecting more contribution as an agitator and less as a goal scorer in the playoffs, so his 3 points was a pleasant surprise too.

He’s one of my favorite players to track on ice, especially just to watch him skate. I sure hope he’s here for a while.

A 10 would definitely require 25 goals and two decisively won fights

I was torn between a 7 and an 8, but ultimately bumped him to an 8 mostly because I am a sucker for grinders like him. I didn’t know much about him coming over, so my expecations were pretty much based on his stats. In that regard he probably deserved a 5 or 6, since he was right in line with my productivity expectations. But the speed / scoring chances were an added bonus (even though he didn’t capitalize on many), and of course the toughness and forechecking ability were great additions. I gave him +1 for each of those, bumping him from 6 to 8. Probably shoulda bumped him back down 1 though for the (team) playoff failure.

I expect to see him remain a mainstay as a 3rd/4th liner next year with the ability to fill in on the 2nd in a pinch. To get a 10, he’d have to contribute 25+ goals and 55+ pts, while continuing to make life difficult for the other team with his speed and physicality.

Chimera had 17 points in 39 games for both the Blue Jackets and the Capitals this season.

I guess that means he met expectations which to me earns a five, but the guy is just so damn fast, I had to push him up to a six. He’s never going to be much of a goal scorer, a la Mike Grier, but he makes up for it in so many other areas. Next to Knuble, this was McPhee’s best move last season.

6 (probably would have been a 5 based on regular season only)- the only thing i knew about him before the trade was his involvement with OV that lead to his shoulder injury. when we got him i thought, cool a guy who will take on some of the tough guy load that was left to matt bloodley and the oft concussed erskine. to that extent, he did provide some spark but i expected more of a physical, bang on the forecheck type of game. besides that, he’s not the best fighter.

i totally didnt expect the amount of speed he brings to the table. very impressive, but again, he doesnt translate that speed into too many breakaway goals. he’s got some hands issues, which is why you get him for chis clark.

if you were rating him on the entirety of the trade and his performance, i would have given him a 7 (although i wonder whether clark’s leadership might have helped us a bit in the post season). however, based solely on his performance relative to my expectations he gets a 6.

i expect his role to be similar to the end of the year. given a full training camp to get BB system down, he should be that much more valuable next year. you have to get a guy with that type of speed more involved in special teams. would love to see him on the PK and maybe clogging the middle on the PP. would also no mind seeing him on second line duty with semin on the right side a bit.

How are people giving him a 9 or 10? What did they see in his play that was that outstanding?

He did was the Caps brought him here for — a 3rd-line checker with speed and a little bit of grit. To me, that’s a 5 or 6.

I’ll give him a 9 next season if his stats don’t improve (or decline) one bit in the regular season, but if he closes out a playoff series with a one-timer shot off a cross-ice pass 8 feet from the goal against a hot goaltender.

Wavering between 6 and 7, I gave Chimmer a low 7. I love the effort, the grit, the speed.
I hate the hands. Man do I hate the hands. When I see him breaking in alone, or by the side of the net with an open net, my heart sinks. In game 7 of the Habs game with the open net miss, my heart sunk. Damn I wish we could transplant Kovalev or Datsyuk’s hands on him.

When he came from the Blue Jackets, I wasn’t expecting as much as we got . And he exceeded expectations. A great steal by GMGM. I am glad we have him locked up for a couple more years.

So 7….7…7 Sign of the Beast.

I expected, about what i got. He created more offense opportunities than I expected, even if they didn’t get finished most of the time. For a 10 next year, keep doing what he does best, harrass opponents D with speed and clean hits, drop the gloves a couple times, while putting up 50-60 points.

Oh, had he potted that tying goal on a huge chance immediately after Laich’s in game 7….

Chimera played the way Clark used to play; speed, aggression, guts. When Clark was at the top of his game, he was shooting beautifully, checking and getting gritty, and offering something on the score sheet. He blossomed in DC, for a season, a cherry tree bloom in career duration.
Will Chimera become a shadow of his self? Dunno. But he brings speed, pretty good size with a disposition towards using it (you reading this Steckel?), and an ability to antagonize. Mssr Getz’s stat units of inclusion bring me to the conclusion that Chimera giveth and he taketh away. He combines the qualities of a prime Clark with the speed and finishing capabilities of Mike Grier. He doesn’t really block shots, doesn’t PK very well, and isn’t consistent over the 1/2 season he was here; we haven’t even seen him one full year.
That brings him to a 5 for me. About what I expected from a salary move and player dump. His playoff performance, which displayed that he does indeed have another gear, earned him an extra point. He was a menace, he made his presence known, and he performed his role very well. If he was an ufa, I’d take a look at what else was there while leaning towards resigning him, if you get my meaning.

He provided the higher end of what I expected., which was to pressure the defense with his speed, hit, forecheck and provide a bit of orneriness. I didn’t expect him to score a lot, but I thought that he would score more than he did, given the system. I like him on the Caps and look forward to having him for a full year.

I don’t particularly like the comparisons with Clark, who was a center and had a career year while playing a first line role he was not suited to.

I knew he was fast and physical but didn’t realize how fast he was our how great he was at forechecking. He could have gotten higher than a 7 but I expected better PKing and especially hoped for more fighting. I knew he wasn’t going to put up a ton of points, but seeing how many great chances he couldn’t finish was tough.

Next year I hope he gets regular third line duty and I’d like to see him get more PK time. I don’t think 4th line is the most effective use of him; it keeps him on the bench for too much of the game. I wouldn’t mind him being a PP2 guy in the case of injuries because his speed makes gaining the zone so easy and his puck recovery skills are phenomenal, but his hands will keep him from being a mainstay there.

I think he gave the Caps pretty much exactly what they expected (as you can see by his similar splits). I’d have given him a 7 if the scoring numbers would have increased despite fewer minutes with the Caps.

I’m excited to have him back next year, and to get a 5 I think he’d need to replicate this season (15/20/35ish, like he’s been pretty much full season). To get a 10 I think he’d have to take it way up to the 25G level, and learn some PK.

-d

just thought about something: at the top of the article it says “from alzner to varlamov”, but wouldnt walker come after varlamov?

I expected nothing. What I got was an exciting, gritty player that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. When he is on the ice, it is hard to watch anyone else. He is excellent at digging the puck out of corners, in part because he beats everyone else there. I love the way he flicks the puck behind the retreating defenseman in the offensive zone, then blows by the defenseman to get it.

To earn a 10, he’d need to score 25 goals, and I don’t think that will ever happen, no matter whose line you put him on. I think he’s way past the age where he has the ability to improve his scoring touch. Putting him with talented scorers is more likely to turn them into low scorers than to improve his scoring. But I don’t care, he’s a good mix of abilities and skills and I love watching him.

Unfortunately there’s no way to vote for a fraction as I’d give him a 6.4 or something around that. He played well for what he is when he got here, and he played well for Columbus as well. He’s not going to be a scoring leader or flashy player, but as a grinder, he did a little better than I thought he would.

To move up, he’s got to hold the stick less tight. How many times did he streak up the wing with his great speed and one of the defense hit him right on the stickblade only to have it bounce off to the corner. The man has to learn how to control a pass, allow the blade to absorb some of the pass’ momentum so he can control it. Tod Krygier was similar in this way, he was fast, could get open and then the puck would be bounced off his stick off somewhere.

No questions about his grit and determination. The guy wants to win and plays hard to get there, and doesn’t take stupid penalties.

To get to a 10… 20 goals. Simple as that.

Where’s D’oh? Looking forward to his assessment. Surely he’s reordered a new #25 jersey by now. Bwahahahaha.

Chimmer overall was a pleasant surprise…I expected him to be a bit less broken down version of Clarkie as a throw in for a trade to help shed some salary and pave the way for Ovie to be named captain. The major reason why he doesn’t rate higher than a 7 from me is his Stone Hands. Think Featherstone from “Necessary Roughness”. That being said though, the rest of his skill set is SO necessary for this team and is a guy who just always seems to be doing at least something positive when he’s on the ice come playoff time. I’m not saying his point production was bad by any stretch given his 3rd/4th line status most of the time, he just creates so many chances for himself and linemates with that speed it always leaves me wanting more.

I think he continues to kill that solid 3rd line roll next year, possibly on a line with Belanger and Fehr depending how the chips fall. I feel like he could do more to earn some PK time because that speed and physical play you would think should be a danger while short-handed. It’s hard to quantify how much the Caps record after him coming aboard could be directly related to the addition of his skill set, but it’s pretty safe to say it didn’t hurt at all. His intelligence in when to turn away from some of the after the play stuff and in turning down fights at the right time was also very good to see. I expect him to continue to be a solid checking/scoring line combo for us next year.

I didn’t know what to expect from Chimera, but I was pleasantly surprised by his speed and his overall effort. I am excited that he is signed for next year and I look forward to seeing what he can do.

He definitely exceeded whatever expectations I had, as I found him to be one of the players that hustled no matter what and, from time to time was in the right place. He didn’t score higher, because he didn’t convert as often as I believe he should of on his scoring opportunities.

If he continues to use his speed next year and can continue to get to the puck in the attacking zone, I’d like to see a greater % of conversions to goals.

We got something useful for Captain Cadaver, and Juice is back (maybe) too.
Great attitude and speed, hands not so great. Good trade by GMGM.

Quite useful but I don’t feel he is a grinder by heart which is why some of his defensive numbers aren’t so good. He is a speed and grit guy without deft hands. He’d belong on a 3.5 line if it existed. He did well for us and earned his keep, can’t ask much more of a guy who came in half way through and learned a completely new system.

But his speed on the 4rth line made that line a very effective pressure fore check and while his defense may not be as good he’s kind of in a similiar situation as adding Flash to the 2nd line – Sure he’s got offensive but drawbacks, but Chimera is less so and his “penalty” isn’t as severe. Great acquirement for sure

He produced about what I expected, having not seen alot of Columbus games. But he certainly didn’t produce nearly
what he could have with all the chances he had using his speed and the caps’ system.

Better speed than I could have imagined, worse hands than I could have imagined. No joke, I have guys on my beer league team with better hands than Jason. I’ve always contented that even plumbers in the NHL have sick hands as compared to even the elite beer leaguers you play with… not this guy. He may have the worst hands of any regular NHLer I’ve seen on the Caps since I’ve been a STH (7 years). I mean Brash looks like Semin compared to this guy.

All that said, I’m excited to have him for his positives and to get a 10 next year he’d only need to continue to do what he does well and bury a few of those “big” goals that he missed this year.

I don’t care about his goal totals (we don’t need that on this team) but what you desperately need from your 3rd and 4th liners is that in the big games when the skill players are being locked down, your grind guys chip in with a big goal every now and then. Chimera had TONS of opportunities to chip in [cough gaping net in game seven cough] but unlike Boyd, Brads, Stecks, etc., who have come up big in those situations, Jason unfortunately demurred.

7 – I was pleased with Chimera. He brought some additional grit to the team. His speed created many nice match-ups for our 3rd line. Now if he can bury about 50% of those odd man rush chances, that would garner him 20 goals and a 10 from me next season.