Hendrix Lapierre was slated for a significant role with the Washington Capitals this season after earning AHL Playoff MVP honors and helping lead the Hershey Bears to a second consecutive Calder Cup. While Lapierre started the season as the club’s starting third-line center, he struggled to hold onto the position, ceding it to Mike Sgarbossa and then Lars Eller after the Capitals completed a trade with Pittsburgh Penguins.
Now, Washington is without Alex Ovechkin, their captain and the NHL’s leading goal scorer, for potentially the longest stint of his career due to a lower leg injury. The large hole in the team’s lineup has given Lapierre an unexpected way back into regular game action.
Head coach Spencer Carbery revealed his lineup for the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, and Lapierre is slated to play on the left wing of the third line. The 22-year-old natural center has little pro experience on the wing, but Carbery says he wanted to reward Lapierre’s patience and hard work this season.
“Yeah, he’s played a little bit in junior, he’s played a little bit for us last year at times,” Carbery said. “So, just felt like, yeah, it’s a more natural decision to put Miro in the lineup, play the wing, that’s where he plays, right shot. But Lappy’s been here all year long. He’s been working and watching games from a wing perspective, knowing that this opportunity may come up and knowing that he wanted to be able to not just be relying on a center injury or just going into that position.
“So, I feel like he’s a good fit for the first game here. I’ve given him an opportunity to go in the lineup, on the wing, play some power play, get him out there, and see if he can be productive in that role.”
Lapierre has just two points (2a) in his 12 games this season, and Washington has struggled with him on the ice five-on-five relative to the rest of their roster. During Lapierre’s minutes, the team has seen just 45.5 percent of the shot attempts, 42.2 percent of the expected goals, 45.9 percent of the scoring chances, and 40.2 percent of the high-danger chances.
Despite creating 2.1 expected goals, Lapierre has yet to hit the back of the net, and his 35.8 percent win rate in the faceoff dot ranks only better than four wingers on the team who have taken draws this season. The move to the wing should decrease the pressure on Lapierre to lead a line and help him find the consistency Carbery wants him to realize.
“He’s a young player that has a bright future in this league, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer to develop and grow into an effective NHL player,” Carbery said last week. “Lappy can play in this league all day long. He’s shown it. He’s had success in this league. It’s just as a young player becoming consistent with that and working at that. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of time for that to come to fruition.”
Lapierre will be pushed by the recently-recalled Miroshnichenko, a natural winger, who is off to a hot start in the AHL this season with 14 points (7g, 7a) in 16 games. If Lapierre struggles to find his footing next to Lars Eller and Jakub Vrana, he may quickly exit the lineup again in favor of the young Russian.
