From Beauvillier to Wilson, we’re taking a look at and grading the 2024-25 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 2025-24. Next up, Connor McMichael.
The Bio:
#24 | Center | Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0” | Weight: 180 | Born: January 15, 2001
Birthplace: Ajax, ON | Acquired: Drafted by the Capitals 25th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft
Cap Hit: $2,100,000 | Signed Through: 2025-26 | Expiry Status: Restricted Free Agent
The Scouting Report (via EP)
The Stats:
The Charts:
The Key Stat: McMichael scored 57 points in 2024-25, an improvement of 24 points over his production last season.
The Good: To say that Connor McMichael took a step forward this season is something of an understatement, as he demolished his previous career highs across the board. He got his season off to a red-hot start, with 12 goals in his first 16 games, and finished the season with 24 more points than he had last season – in just two more games played. That was good enough for sixth on the Caps in scoring (fifth in goals) and he also had the third-most game-winning goals with five. While McMichael scored plenty at even strength and was fourth-best on the Caps in points per 60 at even strength, he also doubled his previous high in power-play goals and increased his power-play point total to 10.
One of the keys to his success was a newfound nose for the net, as McMichael really excelled at driving the net and grabbing high-danger chances. His 82 high-danger shots on goal were in the 97th percentile leaguewide; his 15 high-danger goals in the 89th percentile. His scoring prowess continued into the playoffs, where he scored four goals – only Alex Ovechkin scored more – and had six points, tied for third on the Caps.
The Bad: While his offense took off this season, McMichael showed that he’s still growing when it comes to defensive effort, which was probably a big reason why he remained on the wing for the majority of the campaign. McMichael had the worst CA/60 and third-worst FA/60 rate on the team despite his line getting a hefty amount of offensive zone starts.
The Video: The speed, the hands, the finish.
The Discussion: Do you see McMichael finding a home at center next year or should the Caps keep him at wing? Is McMichael capable of cracking 30 goals this season? Where do you see McMichael’s ceiling as a player?
The Vote: Rate Connor McMichael 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.
