From Alexeyev to Wilson, we’re taking a look at and grading the 2023-24 season for every player who laced ‘em up for the Washington Capitals for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2024-25. Next up, Hendrix Lapierre.
The Bio:
#29 | Center | Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0” | Weight: 179 | Born: February 9, 2002
Birthplace: Gatineau, Quebec | Acquired: Drafted in 2020, 1st round (22nd overall)
Cap Hit: $863,333 | Signed Through: 2024-25 | Expiry Status: Restricted Free Agent
The Scouting Report (via CapFriendly):
Report: November 2023 | Rating: 75 | Projection: Fourth Line
- Young, still developing, combination energy / skill forward.
- Averages less than 10:00 TOI when he’s in the lineup.
- Not physical, but is tenacious along the wall attempting to extend plays.
- Has the skating ability to win races up ice as an extra layer.
- Room for significant improvement in the face-off circle.
- A 4F for now … but at least a 3F in the future.
- Capable of providing secondary layer of scoring and finding a role, eventually, on special teams.

The Stats:


The Charts:




The Key Stat: Lapierre posted points in 13 of the last 26 games in the regular season (6-9-15).
The Good: While he didn’t make the opening-night roster out of camp, it wasn’t long before Hendrix Lapierre was back in DC, joining the squad at the end of October. It would be a bit before he made the move semi-permanent, though, bouncing between Hershey and Washington for the first few months (and picking up his first career multi-point game right before Thanksgiving) before finally sticking in late February after Nic Dowd was put on injured reserve.
From there, he really started to show what he can do, picking up five goals and seven points in his first six games back, and injecting some fresh legs and energy into a team desperately needing both to make its playoff push. His 2.19 points/60 at five on five were second on the team only to Anthony Mantha (and obviously first after Mantha’s departure). He even earned time on the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin, as well as some time on the power play, picking up a couple of points with the extra man – not a lot in the grand scheme of things but good experience for the kid.
Speaking of good experience, a year after making a run to the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears, Lapierre got his first taste of NHL playoffs. The team result was, uh… much different. But he definitely proved that he was capable of elevating his game when it mattered, and was probably one of the team’s better players (low bar when talking about the 2024 postseason Capitals, but still). Only six Capitals players scored a goal in that four-game ousting against the Rangers; only six players had more than one point. Lapierre was in both groups, picking up a goal and an assist before the Caps were bounced and he made his way back up I-83 to help the Bears roar for more.
The Bad: As hot as Lapierre was in his late-February return, he went cold almost as quickly, following up his seven-points-in-six-games run with just one in the next six. He did put up points fairly consistently through the end of the year, but most of them after that initial run were assists – in general he struggled to generate offense, and had one of the team’s lowest xGF% Rel rates at evens, while not doing a whole lot on the rush, either (considering he was one of the faster skaters on a generally slow Caps’ team).
The Video:
The Discussion: Do you think Lapierre is ready to make the full-time leap from AHL to NHL? If he were to make the roster next season, where do you see him fitting into the lineup? Do you think his current projection as a fourth-liner is accurate, or do you see the ceiling being higher with more time and experience? And finally, what would it take for you to give Lapierre a 10 next season?
The Vote: Rate Hendrix Lapierre 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 – so 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.