From Backstrom to Wilson, we’re taking a look at and grading the 2021-22 season for the players who played a significant role for the Caps during the campaign, with an eye towards 2022-23. Next up, Aliaksei Protas.
The Stats:
Regular Season
Playoffs
The Charts:
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via @JFreshHockey
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via Evolving-Hockey
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via HockeyViz
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via HockeyViz
The Key Stat: 0.68 – Protas’ first assist/60 at five on five, which ranked 10th in the league among rookie forwards that played at least 300 minutes. That was above top talents like Alex Newhook, Vasily Podkolzin, Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Lucas Raymond, among many other great names. Protas will probably be remembered for his defensive play this season, but don’t forget he has high-end playmaking ability.
The Good: It was unlikely anyone had Protas playing NHL games this season, let alone 33 games. But due to the Capitals maligned season, many young players got a chance to play. Protas didn’t look out of place in the NHL, which isn’t surprising because he played in the KHL last season. He showed the potential he has to be a reliable two player that has the smarts and offensive ability to break into the top nine in the NHL.
The Bad: There really wasn’t much to complain about Protas. Nothing was expected of him and he came in and did quite well. You’d like to see his offensive impact to be better with his skill set, but again, he wasn’t even supposed to be in the NHL this season so you can’t hate on him too much. He’ll only get better and better, hopefully play with better players as well.
The Video:
The Discussion: Will Protas get a full time spot this upcoming season? Do you see him more as a center or wing? Does his lack of acceleration concern you? And finally, what would it take for you to give Protas a 10 next season?
The Vote: Rate Aliaksei Protas 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 – 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.