Chicago Blackhawks Washington Capitals

Erik Gustafsson’s Breakout Season was Bad Timing for his Career

Rob Couch
Erik Gustafsson, Washington Capitals

Seeing as Erik Gustafsson has started to produce points for the Washington Capitals, it is a great time to look at a potential path his career could have taken him on. The former fourth round pick was nothing special when he finally broke into the NHL at age 23, recording 14 assists in 41 games in 2015-16. It then took him until the 2017-18 campaign to get back into the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks.

With 76 games under his belt heading into the 2018-19 season, Gustafsson broke out in a massive way and became an offensive force. He finished third in goals among defencemen with 17 and sixth in points with 60. But it just so happened that he had signed a two-year, $1.2 million AAV deal in March of 2018 and couldn’t cash in on an amazing season he put together.

Gustafsson’s Breakout Was Horrible Timing

It’s never a bad thing to have an amazing season like Gustafsson had in 2018-19, but he couldn’t follow it up the following season. He recorded half or less than half of his goals, points, power-play goals, and power-play points in 2019-20 than the previous season. He also played more than two fewer minutes per game. Unfortunately, it was his contract year.

He was awarded just a one-year, $3 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers and he produced less than he had the previous season. No team trusted that Gustafsson was going to bounce back and put up a lot of points like he did in 2018-19 and everyone was right. So the best he could get was a one-year deal. 2020-21 was the shortened season, but he recorded only one goal and 12 points in 29 games and traded to the Montreal Canadiens mid-season. He averaged just 10 minutes per game on the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Since it seemed at this point that 2018-19 was a fluke, Gustafsson received a one-year, $800,000 contract to return to Chicago where he didn’t really find any of the success he once had.

Capitals Starting to Get the Best Out of Gustafsson

Flash forward to this season and the Capitals brought in Gustafsson on a one-year, $800,000 deal. Nothing much was thought of it, especially in the first 10 games of the season where he only played more than 17 minutes in a game twice. From game 11-33, he has played less than 20 minutes just six times and recorded his first career hat trick on December 17 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 30-year-old followed that performance up with a goal and an assist in the team’s last game and is now regularly playing on the top pairing with John Carlson.

Related: Canucks & Capitals Linked to Big 1-for-1 Trade

Erik Gustafsson has four goals and 15 points in 33 games on the season and is now in a position to succeed. The Capitals are enjoying the production from him on the back-end as they continue to climb up the standings and into the playoffs. Maybe this success will continue since he’s getting the minutes and opportunity. His contract is looking very good right now and this season could lead to a better payday.

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111 thoughts on “Erik Gustafsson’s Breakout Season was Bad Timing for his Career”

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