Courtesy: Associated Press/Matt Slocum
The Washington Capitals suffered a disappointing 5-2 defeat Tuesday night at the hands of the much maligned Philadelphia Flyers, but one player’s actions late in the third period are headlining the one-sided affair.
Forward Tom Wilson doesn’t garner a ton of ice time on the Capitals’ fourth line, but the 19-year-old has been making some questionable decisions when he hops over the bench each time he skates on for a shift. Wilson averages just 7:02 minutes per game — the lowest average on the team — but leads the Capitals in penalty minutes with 78. The next closest candidate is forward Troy Brouwer with 50.
In 34 games this season, the Toronto, Ontario native has just one goal and three assists, which is expected with the limited minutes he receives, but even though Wilson has played in every game in 2013-14, something doesn’t feel right when watching him play.
Yes, the Capitals did give him a bode of confidence after the first month of the season and aren’t allowing him to participate in the World Junior Championships because of his importance to this team. However, how much trouble does Wilson put this club in by constantly being in the penalty box?
If you watch the hit Wilson delivered on Flyers forward Brayden Schenn — see the hit courtesy of prohockeytalk.com HERE — it sure doesn’t seem like Wilson was in the wrong here. Head coach Adam Oates agrees and felt that the hit was clean and considering Schenn will not be missing anytime, didn’t suffer a concussion and only has some stiffness in his neck, the league officials should consider that during his phone interview with the NHL early Thursday afternoon. The maximum amount of time Wilson can be suspended for with the phone interview is five games.
When the hit occurred, Wilson was hit with a five-minute major for fighting, a 10-minute game misconduct and a five-minute major for charging. It appeared as if Schenn skated his way into the hit and Wilson finished his check, but the league will look at the way Schenn was flung into the boards, the current state of the game — the infraction happened at 15:17 of the third period — and will have to make a judgement on if Wilson was truly headhunting Schenn or not.
Regardless of what happens, the Capitals should have a sit down with Wilson as to his role on the team in general. Sure, many will defend him on the hit and I think he did nothing wrong, but the amount of penalty minutes he is racking up with the limited opportunities he has to skate on the ice is inexcusable.
Wilson undoubtedly is the enforcer this hockey team needs. His physicality and lack of fear to make the big hit is admirable and inspires his teammates. No. 43 delivers max effort each shift he is on the ice, but he has to become more productive and more than just a hitter.
The fourth line is a grinding line. The line’s purpose is to space out ice time and relieve the burden the top three lines have to shoulder. The fourth line serves as a stopgap to allow for rest and recovery for the other three. While Wilson has served that purpose among other things, there comes a point in time where the rookie will have to learn to make the smart hit as opposed to every hit.
