What The Capitals Front Office Has Made Of Hendrix Lapierre's Season

It's no secret that the going's been tough for Hendrix Lapierre.

The Washington Capitals young center hasn't scored an NHL goal since March 18, 2024, marking an 89-game goal drought.

Speaking with Lapierre back in December, the 23-year-old said that he is trusting in the process, though that's easier said than done.

"Is it going to be perfect? No, but you got to learn to manage those emotions and not get too frustrated and not let it take you out of your game," Lapierre said. "Trust your work, trust your preparation."

After being demoted to Hershey last season, Lapierre had to work his way back up to the NHL ranks, and did that with a strong showing while on the Bears followed by an impressive training camp in September. However, since then, he hasn't been able to find consistency or success on offense and averages just 8:41 minutes per game.

For general manager Chris Patrick, there's still confidence in Lapierre's play, and he's shown improvement from last season, though there is a need to eventually see contributions on the scoresheet.

"He's had a great, great attitude. He's worked really hard, as you guys have all seen. I know I feel, when I watch him from up top, I feel more comfortable when he's out there than I did last year. I think (coach Spencer Carbery) feels similar," Patrick said. "But you know, at some point, too, you do need to see some production or something to kind of force the coach's hand to play him more and play him higher in the lineup."

Through 47 games this season, Lapierre has just six assists and an even plus/minus rating. While the production hasn't been there, his underlying numbers are strong, as he ranks fifth in Corsi-for percentage (56.47), shots-for percentage (55.65) and expected goals-for percentage (58.30) among Capitals with at least 40 games played.

"He's still looking to have an impact on a game offensively," Patrick said. "There's some games where it looks like he's maybe got that going a little bit more."

Going forward, Patrick said that hope is that Lapierre, who is on a one-year, "prove it" deal he signed in the offseason, can break through and ultimately, work his way up the lineup.

"For a lot of young, skilled players, like at some point, they have to show 'I can do this' and again, force the coach's hand to play him in more situations and higher in the lineup," Patrick said.