Counting stats
NHL Assists Leaders: Washington Capitals
2021-22All situationsThrough 82 team games
Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH) and 
John Carlson (WSH) lead NHL skaters with 54 assists for the Washington Capitals in 2021-22, ahead of 
Alex Ovechkin (WSH) (40).
Leaders: Assists, Washington Capitals, 2021-22
- 1stEvgeny KuznetsovWSH · 79 GP54
- 2ndJohn CarlsonWSH · 78 GP54
- 3rdAlex OvechkinWSH · 77 GP40
4thTom WilsonWSH · 78 GP28
5thNicklas BackstromWSH · 47 GP25
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Assists measures
This board ranks every NHL skater by total assists this season, regular season only. Total assists this season, all situations.
Totals reward games played and ice time as much as skill; see the per-60 version for the rate view.
Assists credit the last one or two players to touch the puck before a goal. Playmaking centres and power-play quarterbacks on the blue line top the list, and secondary assists make the totals noisier than goals suggest. Assists are a standard category and pile up for players on the top power-play unit. A defenseman racking up assists is usually on PP1; check the power-play points board to confirm. In 2021-22, 34 skaters qualify for this board; the median is 12 and Evgeny Kuznetsov leads at 54.
Assists leaderboard
| # | Player | Team | A | GP | Per game | G | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evgeny KuznetsovFWSH | WSH | 54 | 79 | 0.68 | 24 | 78 | — |
| 2 | John CarlsonDWSH | WSH | 54 | 78 | 0.69 | 17 | 71 | 98% |
| 3 | Alex OvechkinFWSH | WSH | 40 | 77 | 0.52 | 50 | 90 | 88%▼4 |
| 4 | Tom WilsonFWSH | WSH | 28 | 78 | 0.36 | 24 | 52 | 93%▼1.1 |
| 5 | Nicklas BackstromFWSH | WSH | 25 | 47 | 0.53 | 6 | 31 | — |
| 6 |  Conor ShearyFWSH | WSH | 24 | 71 | 0.34 | 19 | 43 | 0.1% |
| 7 |  Dmitry OrlovDWSH | WSH | 23 | 76 | 0.30 | 12 | 35 | 33%▲7.5 |
| 8 |  Marcus JohanssonFWSH | WSH | 20 | 69 | 0.29 | 9 | 29 | 0.5% |
| 9 |  Justin SchultzDWSH | WSH | 19 | 74 | 0.26 | 4 | 23 | — |
| 10 |  Lars EllerFWSH | WSH | 18 | 72 | 0.25 | 13 | 31 | 4.9%▲0.8 |
| 11 |  Nick JensenDWSH | WSH | 16 | 76 | 0.21 | 5 | 21 | 0.5%▲0.5 |
| 12 |  Trevor van RiemsdykDWSH | WSH | 16 | 72 | 0.22 | 1 | 17 | 0.6% |
| 13 |  Nic DowdFWSH | WSH | 14 | 64 | 0.22 | 10 | 24 | 3.2% |
| 14 |  T.J. OshieFWSH | WSH | 14 | 44 | 0.32 | 11 | 25 | — |
| 15 |  Johan LarssonFWSH | WSH | 14 | 43 | 0.33 | 7 | 21 | — |
| 16 |  Anthony ManthaFWSH | WSH | 14 | 37 | 0.38 | 9 | 23 | 32%▼6.4 |
| 17 |  Garnet HathawayFWSH | WSH | 12 | 76 | 0.16 | 14 | 26 | 5.8% |
| 18 |  Carl HagelinFWSH | WSH | 11 | 53 | 0.21 | 3 | 14 | — |
| 19 |  Martin FehérváryDWSH | WSH | 9 | 79 | 0.11 | 8 | 17 | 24%▼0.9 |
| 20 |  Connor McMichaelFWSH | WSH | 9 | 68 | 0.13 | 9 | 18 | 35%▲0.8 |
| 21 |  Daniel SprongFWSH | WSH | 6 | 63 | 0.10 | 14 | 20 | — |
| 22 |  Aliaksei ProtasFWSH | WSH | 6 | 33 | 0.18 | 3 | 9 | 47%▼4.9 |
| 23 |  Brett LeasonFWSH | WSH | 3 | 36 | 0.08 | 3 | 6 | 0.0% |
| 24 |  Matt IrwinDWSH | WSH | 3 | 17 | 0.18 | 1 | 4 | — |
| 25 |  Joe SnivelyFWSH | WSH | 3 | 12 | 0.25 | 4 | 7 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Assists in 2021-22?
Evgeny Kuznetsov leads with 54. The median of the 34 qualified skaters is 12.
Which defenseman leads in Assists in 2021-22?
John Carlson leads NHL defensemen with 54; the top forward is Evgeny Kuznetsov at 54.
How is Assists calculated?
Total assists this season, all situations. Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Assists?
Totals reward games played and ice time as much as skill; see the per-60 version for the rate view.