Regular season
Playoffs
Key Stat: Jakub Vrana had a stellar contract season, scoring a career-high 24 goals and 23 assists. The 23-year-old established himself as a staple in the Capitals top-six forward corps, utilizing his speedy play to crush last season’s totals.
The Good: Take your pick at the positives from Vrana’s breakthrough season – averaging a career-high 14:02 time on ice, the winger was a key offensive tool for the Capitals this season. Skating alongside Nicklas Backstrom and TJ Oshie for much of the season, Vrana seemed up to the task when faced with more challenging assignments in his second full season with the Capitals. Vrana displayed much of the potential the Capitals hoped for when they nabbed him in the first round of the NHL entry draft in 2014.
The Bad: Vrana lost some steam towards the end, held without a point through seven playoff games. Vrana said he was nursing an injury during the Caps’ abbreviated playoffs run which, coupled with his relative youth, could explain the lack of productivity. The Capitals certainly could’ve benefited from a performance akin to the later stages of last year’s cup run but…que sera, sera.
The Video:
The Charts:
The Discussion: One of the main priorities of this offseason is signing Vrana to a new deal. What length and value of a contract would you be pleased with? What pieces would you be willing to part with, if it meant keeping Vrana? What would it take for you to give him a ‘10’ next season?
Other Vrana Season Reviews: RMNB
The Vote: Rate Vrana 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.