{"id":19502,"date":"2017-11-29T08:20:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T13:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=19502"},"modified":"2017-11-29T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T20:08:06","slug":"washington-capitals-nathan-walker-aftermath-of-the-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/11\/29\/washington-capitals-nathan-walker-aftermath-of-the-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Capitals Nathan Walker: Aftermath Of The Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Its safe to say that there was a lot of hype when Nathan Walker<\/a><\/strong> or \u201cstormy\u201d as he is affectionately known, made his NHL debut on October 7th<\/sup>\u00a0for the Washington Capitals<\/a>. There were stadium visits from the Australian Ambassador and a congratulatory phone call from the Australian Prime Minister<\/a>.\u00a0 Many believed the first Australian in the NHL would have a pretty promising season ahead. However, since then he has completely fallen off the radar.<\/p>\n

Nathan Walker<\/a>: Aftermath Of The Storm<\/h1>\n

There has been very little said about Nathan Walker<\/a> recently. He has been scratched a lot and played only seven games this season. His last game was against the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> on November 16.\u00a0<\/span>Overall this season, he has averaged just over nine minutes of ice time in that time. He has a goal and four minutes in penalties.<\/p>\n

Walker is trying to prove he can conform to the Capitals hard-hitting, fiery style. Watching him play there is no question that he has speed and skill. In his first four games, Walker owned a shot-attempt percentage of 63.7 percent, which is the best on the team. He is not lacking in grit and determination either. Previously having to battle injuries and having to deal with constant movement in leagues and different countries before coming to the NHL.<\/p>\n

Tough At The Top<\/h2>\n

In a pre-match media interview for\u00a0#CapsFightCancer<\/a>, when asked about not playing Walker<\/a>,\u00a0Barry Trotz<\/strong>\u00a0stated:<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s just a coach\u2019s decision, it\u2019s not quite your time or we don\u2019t have a full-time role for you. I just think with him, it\u2019s staying positive, believing in himself, and I think that\u2019ll be easy for him because there\u2019s no way he would ever be in the position he is right now without believing in his abilities and his determination. So as long as he has that part of his DNA, I think he\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d \u00ad<\/p>\n

Although in the same interview his stated rationale for not playing Walker was due to lack of penalty kill experience. But realistically, its more obvious that Walker lacks the size and strength (5’8″ and 186 lbs) to make an impact on competitors such as\u00a0Jakub Vrana<\/a><\/strong> (6’0″ and 197 lbs). He will have to continue to work on his strength to position himself on the roster.<\/p>\n

Clearly, he won’t be challenging superstar Alex Ovechkin<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for ice time on the wing. In order for Walker to earn more ice time, he would have to do so on the bottom six. He would need to outplay a more experienced winger like Brett Connolly<\/a><\/strong>, or Tom Wilson<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0Does he really have a chance? The Capitals were plagued with injuries early in the season, but Nathan Walker was still not given the opportunity to leave his mark and become a more consistent member of the line-up.<\/p>\n

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This Alex Luey GIF would work with any Caps fail. pic.twitter.com\/3QMcea4E6p<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) November 26, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n