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2015-16 Rink Wrap: Daniel Winnik

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):

Winnik’s Season, Game-by-Game (via HockeyViz, explained here):

Winnik’s HERO Chart (via Own The Puck):

Winnik and His Linemates:

Winnik’s 5v5 Teammates and Competition (via HockeyViz, explained here):

Winnik’s 5v5 Usage:

Winnik’s With-or-Without You (via HockeyViz, explained here):

Winnik’s Rolling Shot-Attempt (Corsi) -For Percentage:

Winnik’s Last Nine Seasons (via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com):

Previous Rink Wraps: None

Key Stat: Winnik played just 12:11 per game on average, a career-low.

Interesting Stat: Winnik was a +7 with the Caps, even though the Caps were outscored overall over the same stretch of games.

The Good: Winnik was traded to Washington from Toronto as part of the Brooks Laich salary dump, and was an improvement on Laich, for less money. Winnik looked like he was better able to handle the rigors of the NHL than Laich. Offensively, Winnik put up roughly the same number of points per minute at 5-on-5 (s/t Corsica), and he also added defensive value. Winnik, like Laich, contributed around two minutes a game shorthanded. The Caps allowed only three goals and 21 shots on goal in Winnik’s 4-on-5 ice time — rates which, for a team, would easily rank in the top three. That good work continued in the playoffs.

The Bad: Winnik’s performance dropped off this year compared to years past. He scored a point every four games on average in 2015-16 (both in Toronto and in Washington during the regular season), a decline from the roughly 0.4 points per game he’d averaged over the three years prior in Anaheim, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. His point-scoring rate at 5-on-5 also declined sharply, driven mainly by his low assist rate (which had actually been a strength of his in years past) — Winnik failed to register a 5-on-5 primary assist with the Caps (though playing mainly with Mike Richards, Tom Wilson, and Jay Beagle didn’t help). He went eight games before recording a point with the Caps (two goals against Nashville).

His relative possession numbers in Washington were slightly positive (far better than in Toronto in 2015-16), but in more limited minutes, and in a fourth-line role. Although Winnik is not a scorer, his individual shot rate per game was much lower in Washington than in Toronto as well (though that’s partly a function of less ice time). Winnik didn’t fit into the lineup as well as he did in Toronto, and it showed.

Finally, though Winnik may make things tough for the opposition in a long playoff series with his hockey IQ and board play, he also went pointless in the postseason, meaning he’ll carry a 17-game pointless streak into next season.

The Video:

The Vote: Rate Winnik 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: Winnik was a relevant offensive contributor in the bottom-six in Anaheim, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. Can he fit into the bottom-six in Washington in a two-way role? If Jason Chimera is not re-signed, can Winnik adequately fill his role? Can he be part of a third scoring line? Can he be the defensive conscience of a top-nine line? What would it take for you to give him a “10” next year?

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