The Washington Capitals have not been playing well but Joel Ward has been one of the few bright spots thus far this season.
Analysis: Joel Ward has 4 goals and 2 assists in 7 games played this year. He is a plus-5 on a team with a minus 10 goal differential. He’s been posting up shop in front of the net for the most part is putting away the garbage. Ward was on a line with Mike Ribeiro Thursday night and scored a goal on a beautiful pass from him. Ribeiro is a playmaker and a permanent spot on his line would do Joel Ward some good. But… Adam Oates has been changing lines pretty much every game for the Caps this year as they struggle to find chemistry. Regardless, Ward is coming in to his own as a net-front power forward this year.
Ward isn’t a universal pick-up at this point, he still has a lot to work on from a fantasy perspective. He’s never been a big penalty minutes guy nor does he receive tons of ice time(14-15 min/g) but he is shooting more than ever and is getting some valuable secondary power play minutes. Ward is available in over ninety percent of leagues.