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Deriving Lessons From The Chandler Stephenson Miscue

Jon Sorensen

Yes, it’s true. Hindsight is “20/20”. And it’s also true that “there’s no use in crying over spilt milk”. Once it’s done, it’s done. Get over it and move on.

However, post-incident analysis is a very common practice among successful organizations and can be very beneficial in reviewing processes and and identifying the source of resultant mistakes. The analysis helps better understand what went wrong and assists in being better prepared for the next big personnel decision ahead.

Chandler Stevenson, a third-round pick by the Capitals in 2012, was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights on December 2, 2019, for a 5th round pick in the 2021 draft. Trading a third-round pick for a fifth-round pick is not ideal, but not uncommon, particularly when there are several years between the two events. [The Capitals ultimately selected Haakon Hanelt with the pick they received in the Stephenson deal].

The part of the trade that has ultimately become a punch to the gut is the fact that the Capitals were unable to realize what they had in Stephenson, and were unable to see the player reach his potential while in Washington. Stephenson has thrived in Vegas and become a top-line center and top scorer for Golden Knights.

Stephenson also leads all forwards in the regular season in five-on-five and power-play minutes while being second in short-handed minutes. He was even named an All-Star this year. All for a fifth-round pick. Not bad value.

I think most will agree the Capitals dropped the ball with Stephenson and could really use a player like him on the team right now. So what happened? But more importantly, what can be corrected?

TOO MUCH DEPTH?

In order to properly assess what went wrong, we need to understand the atmosphere in the run up to the trade. The feeling around the Capitals at the time was that there was no room for Stephenson on a regular basis. For reference, here were the lines for the first game following the trade of Stephenson, for what it’s worth:

With the exception of an injured Nicklas Backstrom, and Brendan Leipsic, who would later unceremoniously be shown the door, it’s difficult to say who, if anyone, Stephenson would or should replace. That’s where the roadblock won.

Stephenson echoed that sentiment in a recent interview with ESPN.

“The team we had in Washington was loaded,” Stephenson told ESPN. “It was tough to slot into some of those spots. Just as it went on, it was tough for me to just play there toward the end because you’re not really just playing. You’re thinking more about trying to stay in the lineup, get up in the lineup, you’re overthinking things.”

So if it was simply a matter of no room for Stephenson, was there really a mistake on the Capitals end?

THE DECISION

The question at the time was whether it was better to trade Travis Boyd or Stephenson. And many at the time felt keeping Boyd over Stephenson was the right decision, if you had to trade one or the other. The two traded healthy scratches in the final days before Stephenson was moved to the dessert.

Before that it was Nic Dowd versus Stephenson for the fourth line center position. Dowd still centers the Capitals fourth line and Boyd wound up in Arizona. There may be an answer in that.

In addition, Stephenson filed for arbitration in the summer of 2019, likely leaving an uneasy feeling with the Capitals front office for the next free agency period with Stephenson. He was about to get paid and the Capitals simply couldn’t afford him with the way the roster was constructed at the time.

The failure with Stephenson was obviously not recognizing what the Capitals had in the player. That initially falls on the shoulders of Todd Reirden, with a side helping Brian MacLellan. It’s difficult to discern who had a bigger say in the final decision, but it ultimately ends up in their kitchen. Barry Trotz is not unscathed in this, as he set the tone with Stephenson as being a 13th forward. Once a perception takes root, it’s difficult to alter.

Unfortunately, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler followed a similar path out of Washington, over very much the same reasons.

THE LESSONS

But back to the point, purpose and value of this post. How can the Capitals help prevent this from happening in the future. All teams have goofs like this in their rear-view mirrors. The key in minimizing those types of miscues.

Continuous reloading for a championship run inherently breeds the perception that the youth has been neglected and utilized incorrectly. It’s unfortunately integral to the philosophy. So in some ways, letting players like Chandler Stephenson and Jonas Siegenthaler escape is part and parcel of the philosophy of reloading inside a closing window of cup contention. They were good players but not good enough to crack the starting lineup…at the time.

While those type of decisions are possibly correct at the time, the philosophy neglects consideration of future value. That’s were the issues arise. They were unable to realize the potential.

“I think it’s just I got a really good opportunity when I came here (Vegas),” Stephenson said. “It was just sort of this, ‘Let’s see what you got’ and they just let me play. I already had three years with Washington. I knew what to expect, knew how the games were played, how fast it was, physical and all that stuff. But when I came here, I felt like myself and that I could just play.”

The general manager has the final say in all trades, as it should be. But should the general manager intervene during what is perceived to be misuse of a player? MacLellan should be commended for his management style of allowing coaches to make the key decisions, but how is MacLellan supposed to realize potential if the players aren’t playing?

There needs to be a stop-gap before sending players like Stephenson and Siegenthaler packing. That doesn’t seem to be the case, but it should be the course of action. How that is achieved is a question all team’s wrestle with to this day.

Stephenson and Siegenthaler are gone, and so are the coaches overseeing the use of those players. Unfortunately, the loss of the players will have a longer lasting affect on a team.

By Jon Sorensen

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