Ryan Leonard's crazy penalty stats for the caps

RMNB highlighted in a recent tweet that Leonard has already drawn 15 penalties this season. They also tracked him at plus nine in penalty differential, tied for second in the league with Connor McDavid.

Penalty differential is simple, it is the number of penalties you draw minus the ones you take. Live in the plus side of that stat, and your team gets more power plays without sacrificing bodies to the box.

For a 20 year old rookie who already carried the weight of being the 2023 eighth overall pick, Leonard doing this is huge.

He came advertised as a goal scorer with a mean streak from his Boston College days, and that willingness to live in the dirty areas is translating fast.

The Capitals spent the first month buried near the bottom of the power play rankings, hovering in the mid teens as units searched for chemistry.

Now that Spencer Carbery's revamped setup has nudged them toward the low twenties in efficiency, Leonard feeding them extra chances is pure gold.

Through 25 games this season Leonard has chipped in five goals and seven assists for 12 points.

Those are modest boxcar numbers until you remember he is averaging about thirteen minutes a night and often starting in the defensive zone.

Most of his drawn calls come from classic power forward stuff, straight rushes where he leans on defenders and drags the puck through their feet.

Coaches love it because it tilts the ice, forces tired defenders to clutch, and buys breathing room for a lineup still leaning on Alex Ovechkin.

Penalty drawing can be noisy year to year, but players who consistently go to hard areas usually stay in the black.