(Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire)

Evgeny Kuznetsov locked down the Caps second-line center job during his first full season in the NHL and entered training camp as the incumbent at the position. A highly touted prospect, Kuznetsov showed flashes of the skill that made him a former first round pick, but some of the underlying numbers left some concerned about whether he was up to the task as the team’s second line center.

The 23-year-old gets more buzz than any of the Caps other young forwards, and got some time in the national spotlight with some big plays in the postseason. While the praise for his dazzling skill is deserved–and the growth in his game during the 2014-15 season rightfully credited by many–it is true that some of the underlying numbers are concerning for a player currently locked in as the No. 2 center on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.

However, if the 2015 NHL Playoffs are any indication of the direction Kuznetsov’s play is headed, he could be poised to take a big step forward in 2015-16.

(General disclaimer: his playoffs created a 14-game sample size, so there’s reason to be skeptical that Kuznetsov’s performance is a true, sustainable improvement.)

Here’s a look at Kuznetov’s numbers in the 2014-15 regular season versus the playoffs in a few key areas. All numbers are score-adjusted and from War on Ice.

Possession

In the regular season, Kuznetsov was one of the Caps’ worst forwards in terms of driving play when he was on the ice. The Caps saw 3.16 percent less of the overall shot attempts when he was on the ice, which ranked 18th out of the 20 skaters who saw at least 250 5v5 minutes with the team last season.

The playoffs showed encouraging progress for Kuznetsov from a possession perspective. The Caps were about even in shot attempts with him on the ice as opposed to when he was on the bench. as Kuznetsov posted a -0.27 relative shot attempt percentage. This marked improvement ranked 8th among the Caps 20 skaters who saw time in the playoffs.

Goal Scoring

During the regular season, Kuznetsov posted 0.27 goals per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time. This ranked second to last among all Caps forwards and was even behind two Caps defensemen, Mike Green and John Carlson. In the playoffs, Kuznetsov led all Washington skaters with 1.45 goals per 60. His five goals were also a team-best.

Kuznetsov shot just 3.04 percent at even strength in the regular season, seemingly unsustainably low for a player of his skill level. During the playoffs he shot 12.82 percent. While his playoff sniping may not be sustainable, it’s realistic to think that a player of Kuznetsov’s ability will see a spike in his shooting percentage during the regular season in 2015-16.

Kuznetsov’s goal scoring is also going to continue to improve if he shoots the puck as much as he did in the playoffs. During the regular season, he attempt 11.55 shots per 60 minutes of 5v5 play. In the playoff this jumped to 19.42 per 60. Continuing to shoot the puck more often will do wonders for Kuznetsov’s goal scoring rate and total.

Faceoffs

The importance of faceoffs is an often-discussed issue in the analytics community and, in general, their importance is likely overstated, as nearly 60 percent of all shifts start on the fly. But the Caps lost a few key players, in terms of faceoffs, during the offseason, so if Kuznetsov can show improvement on the dot during the upcoming season, it would give Barry Trotz less headaches when he divvies up assignments.

During the regular season, Kuznetsov won just 44.64 percent of his draws. During the playoffs he showed a slight improvement, winning 48.19 percent. While the improvement is slight, and the sample small of draws small enough that it could just be noise, a continued improvement in faceoffs could have Kuznetsov earn more trust from Trotz this season .

The Caps have given Kuznetosv the reins as the center of their second line. Some of the underlying numbers from his first full season in the NHL should give pause. However, if he’s able to prove that the trends from his playoff numbers are more than just a blip, Kuznetsov is going to do big things in 2015-16.