Ilya Kovalchuk has found a fountain of youth in Montreal
A couple of months ago Ilya Kovalchuk was out of a job and willing to play for any price in order to increase his odds of finding a new one. There still didn’t seem to be much interest in the 36-year-old, whom many presumed finished.
Eventually, an injury-plagued, offensively-starved Montreal team decided to gamble on Kovalchuk. All it took was a one-year deal worth $700,000 to get his signature and, boy, are they getting their money’s worth.
Only four teams have more wins than Montreal (9) in the 15 games since Kovalchuk entered the lineup. That’s not a coincidence; he’s been a big factor.
Kovalchuk has piled up six goals, six assists (four primary), and 38 scoring chances in those games. Tomas Tatar is the only player on the Canadiens to best Kovalchuk in any of those categories.
He hasn’t been an empty-calorie point producer either. With Kovalchuk out there at 5v5, the Canadiens have controlled a remarkable 61% of the expected goals and out-scored opponents 12-5. His on-ice numbers are very strong, to say the least.
If we look at a more all-encompassing stat such as Game Score – which factors in production, penalties drawn+taken, on-ice results, etc. – Kovalchuk looks remarkably good.
His average Game Score with the Canadiens is 1.37. That’s the 10th best GS amongst all NHL forwards, just ahead of names like Patrice Bergeron, Steven Stamkos, and Jack Eichel.
Obviously, 15 games is a much smaller sample, and he’s unlikely to sustain *that* level of performance, but it puts in perspective just how well he has played in Montreal.
In large part thanks to Kovalchuk, the Canadiens are right back in the playoff race.
He may no longer be available as a rental as a result and, if that changes, he’s going to cost real assets – something that wouldn’t have been the case when he was free to a good home in December.
Jakub Vrana taking another big step for the Capitals
The Washington Capitals lead the league in wins and seem poised to seriously contend for the Stanley Cup once again.
A big reason for their almost unmatched success is an extremely strong 5v5 offense. The Capitals are averaging 3.03 goals per 60 at 5v5, an output they haven’t reached since back in 2009-10 when they scored 3.29/60 and won the Presidents Trophy.
Alex Ovechkin is a big factor in that, of course, but Jakub Vrana deserves just as much credit. Perhaps even more.
Vrana (20) trails only Auston Matthews (25) and Ovechkin (22) in goals at 5v5, however, he has four more points than the latter and in 100 fewer minutes. He’s been more efficient.
That’s not a knock on Ovechkin, who has been extremely efficient in his own right. Nobody can match Vrana in that regard – at least not so far.
Vrana is averaging 1.78 goals per 60 minutes played at 5v5. Of the other 281 forwards with 500+ minutes of ice, zero (0) have scored goals at a higher rate.
Two years ago Vrana averaged .77 goals/60 at 5v5. That total jumped a remarkable .51 last year, and another .50 this season.
He has very quickly turned into one of the top even-strength producers in the game. At just 23 years of age, it’s hardly a stretch to say the best is yet to come.
The Capitals just may have stumbled into one of the next great goal scorers.
