Japers’ Rink Player Card (click for a hi-res version; data via NHL.com, Corsica.hockey and Cap Friendly):
Burakovsky’s Season, Game-by-Game (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Burakovsky and His Linemates (chart by @muneebalamcu):
Burakovsky’s 5v5 Teammates and Competition (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Burakovsky’s 5v5 Usage (chart by @muneebalamcu):
Burakovsky’s With-or-Without You (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Burakovsky’s Rolling Shot-Attempt (Corsi) -For Percentage (chart by @muneebalamcu):
Burakovsky’s Three Seasons (via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com):
Burakovsky’s Goals Against Replacement (GAR) Components (chart by @ChartingHockey, data by @DTMAboutHeart, explained here, Tableau here):
Burakovsky’s HERO Chart (via Own The Puck):
Key Stat: Andre Burakovsky ranked 23rd in the NHL in five-on-five points per sixty minutes (P/60) this season.
Interesting Stat: His four-game goal scoring streak between January 15th and January 21st tied the team lead for the longest streak of the season (Johansson, Williams and Oshie).
The Good: While it’s expected of a young player, Burakovsky’s been improving consistently since he entered the league. He’s improved his shot attempts taken per sixty (CF/60), shots on goal per sixty (Shots/60) and P/60 in each of his first three seasons. He produces even strength points at an elite rate and consistently drives puck possession in the Capitals’ favor. His dynamic skill set is among the best on the roster and that’s incredibly evident when he’s in possession of the puck. His ability to create space is a big part of the reason he has very strong underlying numbers
Burakovsky’s continued growth was a big part of the reason the Capitals were able to transition from having a top-six group of forwards to a top-nine this season. Lars Eller and Burakovsky were a very good puck possession duo all season and the production finally started to materialize in the second half of the year. Those two, together with Brett Connolly, where a dominant line both in terms of goals and puck possession.
Nicklas Backstrom and Andre Burakovsky played incredibly well together as the Capitals battled back against the Penguins in the second round. In the playoffs, Burakovsky tallied three times in three games with Backstrom as his center. If the Capitals are unable to re-sign T.J Oshie, Burakovsky may be getting top line minutes together with his countryman next season.
The Bad: Burakovsky went 26 games without a goal this season and he went 25 games without a goal a year ago…fair to say this isn’t exactly the type of thing you’d like to see the young swede make a habit of.
A goalless streak is a bad thing on it’s own but it’s made worse when it starts to make a player change his game. Burakovsky’s play tailed off as the streak went on which led to his eventual benching in mid December. Burakovsky worked with a mental toughness coach last season and a sports psychologist last summer but it’s hard to know how much of an impact either of those therapies have had on his mental state.
As Alan May noted on Japers’ Rink Radio, Burakovsky often takes too long to shoot the puck. He’s consistently able to get himself into a position to score but then hesitates a tad too much prior to pulling the trigger. Granted, the hesitation play seems to work for him when it’s executed on the rush but great players are able to score in a variety of circumstances.
Speaking of different circumstances: At some point you’d expect Burakovsky’s five-on-five production to translate over to the power play, it hasn’t. He ranked last on the team in power play points per sixty minutes this season and is near the bottom of the list if you combine the numbers for the last two years. Burakovsky will need to be better with the extra man next season as he’s likely to be the Capitals’ first choice to replace T.J. Oshie on the team’s first PP unit.
The Video:
The Vote: Rate Burakovsky 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: Does Andre Burakovsky have what it takes to be a consistent producer in the top six? Can replace T.J. Oshie on the first line, if called upon? Should the Capitals reunite the “Tre-Kronor” line next season? What would it take for you to give him a “10” next year?