Confirmed with Link: Caps acquire Nick Jensen and a 2019 5th for Bowey and 2020 2nd, extend him 4 yrs, $10M

[Langway]

I’m still curious how Djoos fits in. I’m just not convinced after how well he’s acclimated himself to the NHL game and how much they’ve praised his play and decision making with the puck they’d go out and get a guy that would put Djoos in the press box, especially after Djoos proved he could handle the rigors of the postseason (albeit in a sheltered role). I guess his lack of special teams utility hurts him but that doesn’t seem like enough to remove him from the lineup completely.

It’s why I’m not convinced there isn’t another move coming that would send off one of the current Capitals D. Djoos himself makes some amount of sense as trade bait if they truly are trying to land a big fish at the deadline, more sense than sitting in the press box at least.

Djoos doesn't play enough to warrant being ahead of anyone above him. I don't think Siegenthaler has quite shown well enough to be fully confident in him as next man up in the event Djoos is traded. That seems like more of an off-season deal with perhaps Johansen or Hobbs now more likely players to flip if need be. The turnovers and puck movement issues are still there with Siegenthaler so I think Djoos becomes the luxury #7 and Jensen allows them to recalibrate and rebalance the roles of the rest of the D. Whereas with Djoos that really wasn't going to happen and he wasn't going to at all be a PK threat for any of the other LD. That's one argument in favor of Siegenthaler potentially but, again, it mostly goes back to Orpik and their continued faith in him. I can't see Kempny getting scratched and Orpik elevated into the top 4 so Orpik gums up the works, functionally so, as the third-pair LD and main PKer. If anything I could maybe see Kempny getting dealt at some point should he continue to take ALL of the penalties and not improve on the PK. For now, though, I'd guess they're set.

 

[EYEuhFRAYtee]

So GMBM and the scouts must have been really high on this guy to drop a 4yr/10m contract on him before he even got a sweater over his head. Anxious to see him play now.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I’m still curious how Djoos fits in. I’m just not convinced after how well he’s acclimated himself to the NHL game and how much they’ve praised his play and decision making with the puck they’d go out and get a guy that would put Djoos in the press box, especially after Djoos proved he could handle the rigors of the postseason (albeit in a sheltered role). I guess his lack of special teams utility hurts him but that doesn’t seem like enough to remove him from the lineup completely.

It’s why I’m not convinced there isn’t another move coming that would send off one of the current Capitals D. Djoos himself makes some amount of sense as trade bait if they truly are trying to land a big fish at the deadline, more sense than sitting in the press box at least.

Djoos has improved so much in his time in NA. I remember hearing about him being pretty solid in Sweden and didn’t have big expectations since he was a 7th rounder. He flourished under the tutelage of Troy Mann, Bryan Helmer and then eventually Reid Cashman. The kid has shown he’s a gamer and it would be disappointing if they moved him at this point. The only knock on him is his size, but clearly that’s just genetics as he can’t add that much weight on his frame. If the kid had Bowey’s body he’d be in contention for #2 or a #3 D IMO.

I think GMBM probably has looked at Niskanens game and his cap hit and knows he’s only going to regress with age. GMBM proved to us last year with the Orpik deal that he isn’t going to let his feelings get into the way of moving on from a player he feels is regressing in comparison to his salary. Moving out Niskanen’s cap hit and possibly trading or letting Burakovsky walk could free up some room to extend Vrana long term and possibly extend Backstrom.

If Jensen proves in the next few months that he can handle a top 4 role on this team, I won’t be shocked if they move Niskanen in the offseason. There will be suitors for his services even at his age and cap hit.

 

[RandyHolt]

This time of year a team needs to win. Playing around and losing games can be asking for trouble. Its not worth it. I am sure they will go thru some different options but trying every possibility and giving them enough games to jell just isn't possible.

Coaches loathe to experiment, ALL season long. To me, many of the write off games, like back to backs throwing out the backup G in the 2nd game, later in blowouts, afford coaches lots of safe times to try new stuff. They largely never do.

Orlov Jensen may be a dynamic and dynamite pair. Only, Todd will never ever try it. Probably not even in preseason. It is remarkable the risk a coach fears in such a simple move. You'd think everything they dared to try, HAD to be permanent. And that shuffling pairs mid game after a bad 1st, was illegal.

I would like to see a coach prepare for diversity.

 

[txpd]

I’m still curious how Djoos fits in. I’m just not convinced after how well he’s acclimated himself to the NHL game and how much they’ve praised his play and decision making with the puck they’d go out and get a guy that would put Djoos in the press box, especially after Djoos proved he could handle the rigors of the postseason (albeit in a sheltered role). I guess his lack of special teams utility hurts him but that doesn’t seem like enough to remove him from the lineup completely.

It’s why I’m not convinced there isn’t another move coming that would send off one of the current Capitals D. Djoos himself makes some amount of sense as trade bait if they truly are trying to land a big fish at the deadline, more sense than sitting in the press box at least.

1. I think the stability of his health after surgery is a question mark. Did he play only 8 mins the other night because he goofed and got benched or is something else going on there? I heard Reirden talk several times about how severe the surgery was.

2. As I mentioned, there is an element of prep for the expansion draft in this move. They got hurt when they lost Schmidt and are defending against a repeat.

 

[Bieronymus Trotz]

GMBM

It's too bad Djoos will be pushed down to #7, but he's seemingly the anti-Burakovsky in terms of staying mentally even and can draw back in without many issues. You definitely have to wonder what might be coming as an off-season trade. If Jensen plays well and they think Niskanen is falling off, moving him sure would open up cap space (while remaining pretty risky).

 

[txpd]

Coaches loathe to experiment, ALL season long.

I think coaches are loathe to experiment in the wild ways you would like to see tried. They have bosses. They have to answer for what they do. We're going to lose anyway so I thought I would try and all defenseman power play. Just to see what would happen.

Did you run this thru practice? No, just thought I would wing it.
Did you run this thru practice? Yes, we ran it in the last two practices.
We only have 3 days of real practice the next 30 days and you wasted time in two practices on that??

yea, they are loathe

 

[RandyHolt]

I think coaches are loathe to experiment in the wild ways you would like to see tried. They have bosses. They have to answer for what they do. We're going to lose anyway so I thought I would try and all defenseman power play. Just to see what would happen.

Did you run this thru practice? No, just thought I would wing it.
Did you run this thru practice? Yes, we ran it in the last two practices.
We only have 3 days of real practice the next 30 days and you wasted time in two practices on that??

yea, they are loathe

Now that we know the practice pairs every single practice, we see they don't even try new D pairs in practice.

When we see it is mid game when injuries blowouts and penalties happen. Which are rather predictable. So they actually end up doing things that they did not run thru practice anyways. Right?

I question why a boss would sign off on never having provisions for diversity. We are not talking a normal business here. We are talking an industry where workers comp injuries are commonplace.

 

[twabby]

Djoos doesn't play enough to warrant being ahead of anyone above him. I don't think Siegenthaler has quite shown well enough to be fully confident in him as next man up in the event Djoos is traded. That seems like more of an off-season deal with perhaps Johansen or Hobbs now more likely players to flip if need be. The turnovers and puck movement issues are still there with Siegenthaler so I think Djoos becomes the luxury #7 and Jensen allows them to recalibrate and rebalance the roles of the rest of the D. Whereas with Djoos that really wasn't going to happen and he wasn't going to at all be a PK threat for any of the other LD. That's one argument in favor of Siegenthaler potentially but, again, it mostly goes back to Orpik and their continued faith in him. I can't see Kempny getting scratched and Orpik elevated into the top 4 so Orpik gums up the works, functionally so, as the third-pair LD and main PKer. If anything I could maybe see Kempny getting dealt at some point should he continue to take ALL of the penalties and not improve on the PK. For now, though, I'd guess they're set.

I agree Djoos doesn’t warrant getting time over anyone else right now (depending on how much you value Orpik’s leadership and PKing I guess), but he’s still a good player in absolute terms and it seems like kind of a waste to have him sitting when there is a hole in the top 9 forward ranks. Despite Burakovsky’s uptick in recent play I don’t think he’s gained the team’s trust and I doubt he’s on the team next year barring an incredible individual postseason from him. Maybe Hagelin fills that top 9 role but my suspicion is that Hagelin was brought in to stabilize the 4th line and PK.

It’s clear they are going for it this year and it makes sense to do so given the age of the core. But it’s likely they will have to go through Tampa again (or another strong Atlantic team). Is the top 9 as it stands competitive enough, especially if they have an injury or two to deal with? It might not take anything more than dealing Burakovsky and futures to get a deal done for a top 9 player but I still wonder if GMBM is really going to keep the D as-is given how messy the D was after the Shattenkirk acquisition 2 years ago.

Related to Kempny and his penalties: Another attractive quality about Jensen is that he doesn’t take penalties despite tough 5v5 matchups. He takes about half as many penalties as any Capital D-man except Djoos.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Djoos is in it for the long haul. He's one of the best Caps development stories in a long time, I think the coaching staff and GMBM see him for what he is.



From a fans perspective I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want him around, literally his only knock is being small. Otherwise he's fast, defensively responsible, he leads breakouts, he pushes the pace, he has the wherewithal to make smart and conscious choices one when to jump into the play and when to hang back (basically the anti-Carlson/Orlov/Green).

 

[txpd]

Now that we know the practice pairs every single practice, we see they don't even try new D pairs in practice.

When we see it is mid game when injuries blowouts and penalties happen. Which are rather predictable. So they actually end up doing things that they did not run thru practice anyways. Right?

I question why a boss would sign off on never having provisions for diversity. We are not talking a normal business here. We are talking an industry where workers comp injuries are commonplace.

1. We see the lines and pairs posted on twitter daily. We don't see every configuration that they run. Right?
2. They are practicing to win a game. Not to experiment.
3. They do experiment in camp and in the first 20 games. Not wildly like you want but they do. They use different players. They have used flipped 9 and 6 spots. They use Orpik with 2 and 74 in late game situations. Did you really want to see Seigenthaler and Bowey and Djoos on the first pair playing 24 mins? Just to see how it worked out?

 

[txpd]

From a fans perspective I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want him around,.

Some, not me, don't think he is good. They think Seigenthaler and Lewington and Johansen and others in the system are better.

 

[racingmoose]

Some, not me, don't think he is good. They think Seigenthaler and Lewington and Johansen and others in the system are better.

As of now, Djoos is the better player. If only he could add some bulk top his frame.

Lewington is a completely different type of defenseman and great to have around as a 8 or 9 when needed. Johansen may end up being better than Djoos, he has the tools. Seigenthaler, he makes too many mistakes, isn't quick, and sometimes gives up on plays. He may have had a half decent handful of games with the Caps in a limited and protected role but in Hershey it's a different story. Johansen, since his return from injury, is looking better. Hobbs, also coming off injury, is looking better. And Lewington is solid defensively.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Just an FYI.... Dowd's wife is Jensen's sister.
They were teammates at SCSU.

FYI 2... I had this reversed. Jensen married Dowd's sister. Still bros in law.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

FYI 2... I had this reversed. Jensen married Dowd's sister. Still bros in law.

Either way we should start to see some Saint Cloud jerseys appearing in D.C.. Aren't they currently ranked #1 in the nation right now in Div. 1 hockey?

Nate Schmidt grew up in Saint Cloud but went to the Univ of Minnesota.

 

[traparatus]

Coaches loathe to experiment, ALL season long. To me, many of the write off games, like back to backs throwing out the backup G in the 2nd game, later in blowouts, afford coaches lots of safe times to try new stuff. They largely never do.

Orlov Jensen may be a dynamic and dynamite pair. Only, Todd will never ever try it. Probably not even in preseason. It is remarkable the risk a coach fears in such a simple move. You'd think everything they dared to try, HAD to be permanent. And that shuffling pairs mid game after a bad 1st, was illegal.

I would like to see a coach prepare for diversity.

To give some credit to Reirden, he does shuffles d-pairs half way through a game when preset combos are not working. For example, while Orlov has played with Niskanen most of the time (786min 5vs5), Orlov does have 332 minutes of 5vs5 time without Niskanen. That's quite a bit.

I too would like to see Jensen get an opportunity on the 2nd pair, even if for a couple games.

 

[txpd]

I too would like to see Jensen get an opportunity on the 2nd pair, even if for a couple games.

On the Capitals, which is the first pair? The one with the 1d on it or the one that defends first?

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Djoos is in it for the long haul. He's one of the best Caps development stories in a long time, I think the coaching staff and GMBM see him for what he is.



From a fans perspective I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want him around, literally his only knock is being small. Otherwise he's fast, defensively responsible, he leads breakouts, he pushes the pace, he has the wherewithal to make smart and conscious choices one when to jump into the play and when to hang back (basically the anti-Carlson/Orlov/Green).

Things do seem to happen offensively when he's on the ice. He does find the open man with his passes, had a nice slap pass a game or two back.

 

[Hivemind]

Reirden is almost certainly going to ease Jensen in, but I’m definitely in the camp of people who could see Jensen getting an audition in Niskanen’s role before the end of the regular season. If Nisky continues to struggle, Jensen will absorb more and more of his responsibilities. Likely on the PK first and then as Orlovs partner. I really like this move not as just shoring up 3RD, but as protectable depth up the lineup for one of the currently struggling key players. With Carlson at his best when he’s not handling shutdown duty, it’s important to have another RD who you can trust against the opponents top forwards. Jensen was tasked with that in Detroit and handled it well. I don’t know if he’ll ever tilt the ice the way Niskanen was doing in years past, but he may be able to at least stop the bleeding.

I love Djoos and want him to continue to see ice time despite the Jensen addition. But Djoos playing a shutdown role on his off side would be a big ask should Niskanen struggle. For now I’m comfortable with a sheltered Djoos who can shift up if Orlov or Kempny get hurt.

 

[traparatus]

On the Capitals, which is the first pair? The one with the 1d on it or the one that defends first?

I call 1st pair whichever pair has Carlson on it. It's just semantics though, I don't ascribe any particular meaning to it.

Orlov-Jensen is the pair I would like to see, as an experiment.

 

[txpd]

I call 1st pair whichever pair has Carlson on it. It's just semantics though, I don't ascribe any particular meaning to it.

Orlov-Jensen is the pair I would like to see, as an experiment.

I think that is possible if the Caps feel like Orpik can handle more minutes with Niskanen. I am not sure I see Orlov Jensen as a shutdown pair against opposing 1st lines though. I don't see Kempny doing that either. So...I will just wait and see

 

[txpd]

Reirden is almost certainly going to ease Jensen in, but I’m definitely in the camp of people who could see Jensen getting an audition in Niskanen’s role before the end of the regular season. If Nisky continues to struggle, Jensen will absorb more and more of his responsibilities. Likely on the PK first and then as Orlovs partner. I really like this move not as just shoring up 3RD, but as protectable depth up the lineup for one of the currently struggling key players. With Carlson at his best when he’s not handling shutdown duty, it’s important to have another RD who you can trust against the opponents top forwards. Jensen was tasked with that in Detroit and handled it well. I don’t know if he’ll ever tilt the ice the way Niskanen was doing in years past, but he may be able to at least stop the bleeding.

I love Djoos and want him to continue to see ice time despite the Jensen addition. But Djoos playing a shutdown role on his off side would be a big ask should Niskanen struggle. For now I’m comfortable with a sheltered Djoos who can shift up if Orlov or Kempny get hurt.

Did you see Scott Stevens' breakdown on Jensen. It was pretty technical. Gap control. Positioning and decisions. Footwork. Stevens seems to really like what he saw. Seemed to think the Caps got a bargain

 

[Silky mitts]

Either way we should start to see some Saint Cloud jerseys appearing in D.C.. Aren't they currently ranked #1 in the nation right now in Div. 1 hockey?

Nate Schmidt grew up in Saint Cloud but went to the Univ of Minnesota.

I watched them the other day, I think they’ve got 3 Poehlings led by Ryan who was the top forward for USA in the U20s

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Who’s auditioning for Orlov’s role? Talk of displacing Niskanen seems disingenuous without taking a hard look at how bad his partner has been too.

I could see an Orlov-Jensen 3rd pair.

 

[traparatus]

Who’s auditioning for Orlov’s role? Talk of displacing Niskanen seems disingenuous without taking a hard look at how bad his partner has been too.

I could see an Orlov-Jensen 3rd pair.

Actually, Orlov does seem to perform better away from Niskanen. Niskanen seems to struggle whoever he is partnered with. Admittedly, this could be a by-product of quality of competition/assignments.

Really, this is a meaningless argument. Changing Orlov's partner obviously changes Niskanen's partner too. If it makes you feel better, just look at it like Niskanen is getting promoted to playing with Orpik.