WASHINGTON — Tom Wilson will admit to being a little worried at first — that after he built his career playing one way, stripping away some of the physicality would make him a lesser player.

Four suspensions from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety though — the last of which caused him to miss the first 16 gamesduring the 2018-19 season — meant he had to change something if he wanted to stay on the ice, where the Washington Capitals need him most in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.

But while Wilson’s critics have characterized his career around that single, violent aspect of his game, he never saw himself as one-dimensional. He’s a strong skater, his shot has never been better, and injecting some caution into his checking didn’t mean he had to get rid of it altogether.

“If it’s a skating game, I can go out there and create momentum like that,” Wilson said. “If there are six penalty kills, you can go out there and try and help. If you need a goal, hopefully it’s a night where you’re able to chip in offensively. Hockey is such a game of versatility that you hope as a player you can chip in different ways.”

For 63 regular-season games, Wilson was the model power forward, still physical with his 6-foot-4, 218-pound frame but better at picking his spots to deliver a big blow. Wilson averaged a career-high 18 minutes, 9 seconds of ice time playing exclusively on one of the Capitals’ top two lines and, despite missing more games in a season than he ever has, finished with career highs in goals (22) and points (40).

But the playoffs are when everything gets ramped up, including the physicality. And the higher stakes will provide the ultimate test of how far Wilson’s game has come and whether it has really changed.

“ It’s an ever-growing process for him,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. “He’s going to be going through his first playoff with that type of thought in mind.”

Wilson has grown exasperated with the constant talk of his rap sheet, even as he’s gotten some praise from George Parros, the head of the Department of Player Safety.

“I think Tom has figured out how to play the game and stay off our radar. . ... We’ve seen clips of him delivering good clean hits and laying off hits that might have gotten him in trouble before,” Parros told ESPN.

And as the playoffs begin, Wilson will have to continue to walk that line.

“I’m not going to be shying away from hits,” Wilson said. “I’ve just got to make sure I’m doing them clean.”

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