2015-16 Capitals in Review: Taylor Chorney

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article_body => "With the Capitals’ 2015-16 season now in the rearview mirror, we continue with our player-by-player analysis through their numerical roster.<\/p>\nNo. 4 Taylor Chorney<\/strong><\/p>\nAge:<\/strong> 29 (turns 30 on April 27, 2017)<\/p>\nGames:<\/strong> 55<\/p>\nGoals:<\/strong> 1<\/p>\nAssists:<\/strong> 5<\/p>\nPoints:<\/strong> 6<\/p>\nPlus-minus:<\/strong> Plus-8<\/p>\nPenalty minutes:<\/strong> 21<\/p>\nTime on ice:<\/strong> 13:11<\/p>\nPlayoff stats:<\/strong> 7 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, minus-1, 4 PIM, 12:34<\/p>\nContract status:<\/strong> 2 years remaining on 2-year, $1.6 million contract extension ($800,000 cap hit)<\/p>\nRELATED: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.csnmidatlantic.com\/washington-capitals\/wilson-could-learn-few-things-watching-ward-brouwer\" target=\"_blank\">WILSON COULD LEARN A FEW THINGS WATCHING WARD, BROUWER<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWhen the Capitals signed Taylor Chorney to a one-year, one-way contract last July 1, the general reaction from the Caps’ fan base was: Who?<\/p>\nA career minor leaguer with 400 games of AHL experience but just 68 games at the NHL level, the Caps viewed Chorney as a solid seventh defenseman with enough NHL experience (including five playoff games for the Penguins last year) to fill in as an injury replacement.<\/p>\nThat’s exactly how he was used. With Brooks Orpik (41 games) and John Carlson (26) missing 67 games due to injury, Chorney served as a reliable seventh defenseman who played all six of the games Orpik missed in the playoffs (3 because of injury, 3 because of suspension).<\/p>\n“I think I did pretty well,” Chorney said in his post-season exit interview with reporters at Kettler. “Heading into the year you don't really know on a new team exactly where your place is going to be, it's just different.<\/p>\n“But I think as the year went on I did a pretty good job earning more and more trust from the coaching staff and from my teammates and I think by the end of the year I felt like I was playing some pretty good hockey. It's just too bad that it all got cut a little short.”<\/p>\nChorney began and ended the regular season primarily as a healthy scratch. He played in just five of the Caps’ first 14 games and in eight of their final 22 games. In between, he played in 44 straight games from Nov. 12 through Feb. 13 and the Caps went 30-10-4 in that stretch.<\/p>\nShortly after, on Feb. 19, Chorney signed a two-year contract extension that will pay him $775,000 next season and $825,000 in 2017-18. This is the first time in his pro career that Chorney enters into an offseason with the security of a two-year NHL level contract.<\/p>\n“It's nice,” he said. “Going into the year, you don't really know what to expect. You're just hoping to get an opportunity to show you can play and I think I did a pretty good job of doing that and it was definitely nice getting an extension in the middle of the year.<\/p>\n“It just kind of puts your mind at ease to know that most likely you're going to be here and you're going to be a part of it. At the same time, I think that knowing that you're probably going to be back next year it makes the loss that much tougher. I think you feel more invested with this group of guys and the expectation was so high for us and I think that it's going to carry over for us next year and we'll be ready to rock.”<\/p>\nAs well as the Caps played with Chorney in the lineup during the regular season, they were 1-6 in the games he played in the post-season.<\/p>\nIn their season-ending 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins in Game 6, Chorney logged a playoff-high 16:10 of ice time and was on the ice for Nick Bonino’s game-winning goal. Chorney was beaten off the boards by Carl Hagelin and despite a stick check by Chorney, Hagelin got off the shot that Bonino shoveled past Braden Holtby to end the Caps’ season.  <\/p>\n“There's some things that you could do differently,” Chorney said of the game-winner. “It's tough. It's a bang-bang play right at the net and that's usually how those overtime goals happen and just whether you're a half step late on the coverage or just get your stick in there to maybe break it up, that's definitely one of those things that, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about it for a couple days. I'm sure that it'll be with me for a little while, but I guess I don't really regret anything about the way I played. It's just one of those plays where you'd probably do something a little bit different. …The big picture, there's probably a lot more going on than just that one play, but at the same time there's some things that you'd probably do a little bit different.”<\/p>\nHeading into next season, Chorney is one of six Capitals defensemen under contract and with Dmitry Orlov expected to be re-signed, his role likely won’t change much. Neither, he said, will the expectations of a team that ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy this season.<\/p>\n“We had high expectations for our team all year,” he said. “Just the way we played throughout the season, we knew that we had a chance to do something special and we fell short this year and I think that that's probably going to be with us for a while now. Hopefully, it'll fuel us for next season.”<\/p>\nMORE CAPITALS: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.csnmidatlantic.com\/washington-capitals\/season-review-matt-niskanen\" target=\"_blank\">SEASON IN REVIEW: MATT NISKANEN<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n"
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Capitals

With the Capitals’ 2015-16 season now in the rearview mirror, we continue with our player-by-player analysis through their numerical roster.

No. 4 Taylor Chorney

Age: 29 (turns 30 on April 27, 2017)

Games: 55

Goals: 1

Assists: 5

Points: 6

Plus-minus: Plus-8

Penalty minutes: 21

Time on ice: 13:11

Playoff stats: 7 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, minus-1, 4 PIM, 12:34

Contract status: 2 years remaining on 2-year, $1.6 million contract extension ($800,000 cap hit)

When the Capitals signed Taylor Chorney to a one-year, one-way contract last July 1, the general reaction from the Caps’ fan base was: Who?

A career minor leaguer with 400 games of AHL experience but just 68 games at the NHL level, the Caps viewed Chorney as a solid seventh defenseman with enough NHL experience (including five playoff games for the Penguins last year) to fill in as an injury replacement.

That’s exactly how he was used. With Brooks Orpik (41 games) and John Carlson (26) missing 67 games due to injury, Chorney served as a reliable seventh defenseman who played all six of the games Orpik missed in the playoffs (3 because of injury, 3 because of suspension).

“I think I did pretty well,” Chorney said in his post-season exit interview with reporters at Kettler. “Heading into the year you don't really know on a new team exactly where your place is going to be, it's just different.

“But I think as the year went on I did a pretty good job earning more and more trust from the coaching staff and from my teammates and I think by the end of the year I felt like I was playing some pretty good hockey. It's just too bad that it all got cut a little short.”

Chorney began and ended the regular season primarily as a healthy scratch. He played in just five of the Caps’ first 14 games and in eight of their final 22 games. In between, he played in 44 straight games from Nov. 12 through Feb. 13 and the Caps went 30-10-4 in that stretch.

Shortly after, on Feb. 19, Chorney signed a two-year contract extension that will pay him $775,000 next season and $825,000 in 2017-18. This is the first time in his pro career that Chorney enters into an offseason with the security of a two-year NHL level contract.

“It's nice,” he said. “Going into the year, you don't really know what to expect. You're just hoping to get an opportunity to show you can play and I think I did a pretty good job of doing that and it was definitely nice getting an extension in the middle of the year.

“It just kind of puts your mind at ease to know that most likely you're going to be here and you're going to be a part of it. At the same time, I think that knowing that you're probably going to be back next year it makes the loss that much tougher. I think you feel more invested with this group of guys and the expectation was so high for us and I think that it's going to carry over for us next year and we'll be ready to rock.”

As well as the Caps played with Chorney in the lineup during the regular season, they were 1-6 in the games he played in the post-season.

In their season-ending 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins in Game 6, Chorney logged a playoff-high 16:10 of ice time and was on the ice for Nick Bonino’s game-winning goal. Chorney was beaten off the boards by Carl Hagelin and despite a stick check by Chorney, Hagelin got off the shot that Bonino shoveled past Braden Holtby to end the Caps’ season.

“There's some things that you could do differently,” Chorney said of the game-winner. “It's tough. It's a bang-bang play right at the net and that's usually how those overtime goals happen and just whether you're a half step late on the coverage or just get your stick in there to maybe break it up, that's definitely one of those things that, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about it for a couple days. I'm sure that it'll be with me for a little while, but I guess I don't really regret anything about the way I played. It's just one of those plays where you'd probably do something a little bit different. …The big picture, there's probably a lot more going on than just that one play, but at the same time there's some things that you'd probably do a little bit different.”

Heading into next season, Chorney is one of six Capitals defensemen under contract and with Dmitry Orlov expected to be re-signed, his role likely won’t change much. Neither, he said, will the expectations of a team that ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy this season.

“We had high expectations for our team all year,” he said. “Just the way we played throughout the season, we knew that we had a chance to do something special and we fell short this year and I think that that's probably going to be with us for a while now. Hopefully, it'll fuel us for next season.”

MORE CAPITALS: SEASON IN REVIEW: MATT NISKANEN