We are inching closer than ever to the Washington Capitals drop of the puck and one question on everyone's mind as we gear up for the fall is who will don the alternate captain positiion if John Carlson or T.J. Oshie couldn't play right away?
Look no further than Dylan Strome or Nic Dowd, says Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Heck let's even throw Charlie Lindgren into the mix.
Charlie Lindgren
We know what Chuck can do. His performance at goaltending was the reason the Caps got into the playoffs. With his trusted glove named Josie, Lindgren was the Caps good luck charm as they kept winning games down the stretch in order to qualify for playoff competition.
This Caps franchise always has something to prove and Lingren seized the opportunity. And even if he doesn't wear the alternate A we've seen how vocal he is in the locker room especially after he pitches a shutout against a quality opponent.
Lindgren had a total of SIX shutouts on the season. And three important wins down the stretch to ensure the Caps could get into the playoffs. Goaltending is always a hot topic around here and here's hoping Lindgren can have a solid training camp.
Dylan Strome
We all know what Dylan Strome can do offensively and the versatility is also a really big plus. He's like Lightning McQueen the way he controls the puck. Look no further than a buzzer beater overtime winner against Buffalo.
Strome is just 27 and can pack a one two offensive punch and he can win face-offs to boot. With 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points last season, he showed he still has the offensive upside one year after signing a midseason extension for up to five years. He also suited up for all 82 games.
The previous year it was 81 games and he recorded 23 goals and 42 assists for 65 points per Hockey Reference.
Oh and let's not foreget about the face off winning percentage. Last season Strome won 52.8 percent of his draws. Overall with the Caps he's won 51 percent of his draws in 163 games. That is astronomically impressive. It's also an improvment from when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Arizona Coyotes who are now the Utah Hockey Club.
Strome's 52.8 face off win percentage is also a big improvment from 48.8 percent the previous year.
Nic Dowd
Last but simply not least as we're exactly TvR days away from the season is the 34 year old veteran who hails from Huntsville, Alabama. Last season he had 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points on an everchanging fourth line. He did though provide two game winning goals, further proving how clutch the veteran can be.
Overall Nic Dowd has suited up for 369 regular season Caps games. His face off winning percentage is set at 48.1 last season so there's room for improvment there but overall his career face off winning percentage with the Caps is at 51.7 percent.
In those 369 career games, Dowd has 61 goals and 62 assists for 123 points and his plus/minus is at a +39. His career total in regular season games is 500 which is crazy to believe in the first place.
Two years ago in the playoffs against the Florida Panthers he had a face off win percentage of 51.4 percent. That was when the line was almost clicking sort of speak.
But perhaps what makes Dowd the most reliable is his puck poession metrics. In the end, that's what you want in a reliable center.
