Boyd Gordon

'07-08 Stats                      Age (on October 1): 24                  Contract: RFA

'07-08 Season Report

Gordon is a great option as a fourth line center. He found a home between Donald Brashear and Matt Bradley toward the end of the season and in the playoffs.

His niche is penalty killing. He led all Capitals players (even defensemen) with 4:00 of PK ice time per game during the regular season. That also ranked him 3rd among all NHL forwards in that category.

Along with Sergei Fedorov and David Steckel, Gordon gave the Capitals three of the league's top faceoff men this season. Considering how young he still is, Gordon has really come along as a solid defensive centerman. But the Capitals could sure use a bit more offense from him than his 16 points in 74 games this year.

Intangibles

Gordon strikes me as a future leader. Most guys who play his style tend to be those character guys that are so valuable to a team's overall chemistry. He's a solid piece to a puzzle loaded with young guys who have very bright futures in Washington.

Future Fit

Gordon is a RFA this offseason and will be another Cap who is likely to command a sizable raise from his $650K salary the last two seasons. An unlikely scenario could see him getting a considerable offer from elsewhere and the Capitals opting to go with Fedorov as a checking line center instead. But the odds of both being on the Caps next year are probably better (though still unlikely) than Gordon being gone.

The type of game that Gordon specializes in tends to improve considerably with experience. Knowing where to be and predicting where the puck is going takes time. The fact that he's just 23 means there's a tremendous upside to his defensive game. But since the Capitals are strong up the middle, anything is possible.