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Get to Know a Penguin: Eric Fehr

Backstabby McTraitor

#16 / Center/Right Wing / Pittsburgh Penguins

6-4 | 212 | September 7, 1985

Winkler, MB | 18th, 2003 (Washington)

Assets Possesses good instincts in all areas of the game, a very big frame and a streaky scoring touch. Knows where to be on the ice. Good in the slot, his soft hands are an advantage in heavy traffic. Unloads an accurate wrister. Is a good penalty killer and can play all three forward positions.
Flaws It’s not his style of play, but he would benefit greatly from utilizing his 6-4, 212-pound frame more to his advantage (but he’s simply not very physical). Also, his skating is merely average by NHL standards. Injuries have been a problem throughout his professional career.
Career Potential Quality, versatile veteran forward. (Assets, Flaws and Career Potential via The Hockey News player page)

Career 25-Game Rolling Five-on-Five Corsi-For Percentage:

Fehr rolling CF%

2015-16 Even-Strength Usage Chart:

PIT Usage

Why you should know who he is: After failing to live up to projections as a goal-scoring power forward, the former first round pick found himself nearly out of NHL hockey entirely before reinventing himself as a more defensive-minded wing, earning a tryout and then being converted to a center. During the regular season, Fehr was one of Pittsburgh’s top penalty-killing forwards, logging about 2:30 of ice time per game (roughly the same as Matt Cullen) and notching four shorthanded goals.

Fehr scored a goal in Game 3 of the Pens’ first round series, only his sixth career post-season tally in now 42 games (and only his third in 35 games outside of the seven-game series against Montreal in 2010), and, interestingly, spent the last couple of games of that series on a third line with Chris Kunitz and… Evgeni Malkin? Alrighty then.

How the Caps can stop him: Despite his size, Fehr has never been particularly fond of going to the high-traffic areas of the ice or physical play and has always been a bit injury-prone, so any time the Caps finish a check on him, they could be finishing Fehr for the series (see Kyle Okposo’s hit on him in Game 3 of last year’s first round match-up with the Isles). He’s also not a particularly good or fast skater, so containing him won’t be as difficult as it will be with some of Pittsburgh’s speedier forwards. But the Caps do need to be aware of him while they (the Caps) are up a man.

Oh, and make sure all games are played indoors.

Previously: Matt Murray | Patric Hornqvist | Matt Cullen | Tom Kuhnhackl

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