Japers’ Rink Player Card (click for a hi-res version, and a glossary of terms used in this post can be found here; data via NHL.com, war-on-ice.com, General Fanager and Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com): 
Chimera’s Rolling Shot-Attempt (Corsi) -For Percentage since 2007:
Chimera’s HERO Chart (via Own the Puck):
Chimera’s Past Eight Seasons (via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com; click to enlarge):
Key Stat: Chimera posted his fewest points per game (0.25) since 2003-04, his second season in the NHL.
Interesting Stat: Jason Chimera has failed to post a single special teams point in a season twice in his career—the lockout-shortened 2013 season and 2014-15.
The Good: Chimera was again a regular penalty killer and finished second among Caps forwards in goals against per 60 minutes. Other than that, the playoffs was when Chimera did most of his good work. He had three goals and four assists in the 14 games and 35 shots in goal, good for an average of 2.5 per game—double his regular season rate of 1.25. He was especially important in the team’s series win over the New York Islanders, notching the game-winning goal in Game 2 and assisting on the series’ winning goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov in Game 7.
The Bad: In the regular season, Chimera didn’t come remotely close to replicating his 2013-14 campaign, producing only half as many goals and assists per game (and failing to top that half a point per game pace in any month of the season). While his 5-on-5 scoring rates weren’t too bad, they were still bottom-half among team forwards, and at 5-on-5, he tacked on the worst shot attempt percentage (47.3%), second-worst penalty differential per 60 minutes (to Jay Beagle), and worst scoring chances-for percentage (by a mile). His January was especially cringeworthy—he even briefly dipped below one unblocked shot attempt per game over a 20-game stretch (all situations)—although his February and March were much better.
In general, Chimera didn’t really seem to fit in outside the fourth line. He was a drag on the team’s top offensive players—even in the playoffs, when he, Kuznetsov, and Marcus Johansson were dominated possession-wise by the New York Rangers—and didn’t seem to have his usual chemistry with Joel Ward (especially when they weren’t centered by Eric Fehr). He looked easily frustrated this season, taking more than his fair share of undisciplined, unnecessary penalties, especially in the first half of the season.
The Video:
The Vote: Rate Chimera below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season – if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
The Discussion: What is the right role for Chimera to play on the Capitals (if any)? Can he rebound next season, as he did after the 2013 season? Does his game translate better to the playoffs? With a contract set to expire in 2016, under what circumstances should the Caps try to re-sign him? What would it take for you to give him a “10” next year?
