(Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

The Washington Capitals have garnered a lot of preseason buzz, with speculation that this could be the year the team gets over the hump in the playoffs. Many people have pointed to the acquisitions of Justin Williams and TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin’s continued goal scoring dominance, or the continued emergence of Braden Holtby as an elite netminder as why this could be Washington’s year.

In this space recently, Evgeny Kuznetsov was highlighted as a player ready to take a big step forward in his development. All of these points are valid as to why the Caps are a serious contender this season.

But one player that consistently flies under the radar outside of DC, yet stands ready to make a significant impact, is Andre Burakovsky. The 20-year-old Austrian-born forward posted nine goals and 13 assists in 53 games as a rookie last season. Despite his strong play, Burakovsky saw stints in the team’s top-six interrupted by demotions to the AHL, the fourth line, or the press box. If Burakovsky is deployed more appropriately in 2015-16, there’s reason to believe he could be one of the Caps’ best forwards.

Among Caps forwards, Burakovsky was at or near the top of many categories last season (All numbers are 5v5 and from War on Ice).

Points per 60: 1.68 (3rd among Caps’ forwards)

Relative shot attempt percentage: +4.67 (1st)

Shot attempts per 60: 63.51 (1st)

Relative scoring chance percentage: +2.16 (2nd)

Scoring chances per 60: 29.82 (1st)

Individual shot attempts per 60: 12.71 (3rd)

Barry Trotz’s refusal to regularly use Burakovsky may have been his biggest blunder during his first season behind the bench for the Caps.

When Burakovsky skated with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the trio were downright dominant. According to Puckalytics, the trio skated 182:25 together last season. During that time, the Caps scored 68.2 percent of the goals and owned 55.4 percent of the overall shot attempts. While the on-ce shooting percentage of 13.76 percent would be certain to regress, the underlying numbers suggest that this would still be a dominant line.

With the acquisitions of Oshie and Williams, the chances of Burakovsky ending up on the top line this season are slim. But, due to Backstrom’s injury, Burakovsky is getting another shot at Center, an unnatural position for him that he spent some time at last season. Burakovsky is slated to open the season centering the team’s second line, flanked by Marcus Johansson and Williams. While Burakovsky has obviously never skated with Williams, reuniting him with Marcus Johansson is a great idea, as the two were great together during limited minutes last season.

Burakovsky skated with Johansson more than any other teammate last season and the two were a formidable duo on the Caps second line. Over 222:26, the Caps saw 54.2 percent of the shot attempts when they skated together. Without Burakovsky, Johansson’s shot attempt percentage dropped to 52.7 percent.

Burakovsky had a similar effect on almost everyone he skated with last season, as eight of the nine forwards who skated 45-plus minutes with him last season saw an improvement in their shot attempt percentage when skating with Burakovsky.

Burakovsky had a similar effect in the goals department, as seven of the nine saw an improvement in their goals for percentage when they skated with him.

Clearly, Burakovsky had a positive impact for the Caps last season when he was given a jersey by Trotz. He also made just about every player around him better.

Expectations are high around the Caps as the 2015-16 season opens, and rightfully so. But Burakosvky is a player who doesn’t get recognized enough as someone who is likely to be a significant contributor to the club in 2015-16. Given the chance by his head coach, he could very well be one of the team’s best forwards this season.