Washington Capitals Report Card: Christian Djoos

Christian Djoos had, to put it lightly, a bumpy 2018-19 season with the Washington Capitals

Christian Djoos played in just 45 games in his second season with the Washington Capitals and registered 10 points (nine assists) and was a plus-nine on the ice. He wasn’t a strong possession player, either, as his Corsi For was just below 50 percent at 48.8 percent.

After entering the year with high expectations following a solid playoffs last season, Djoos looked to be ready to take the next step on the Capitals defense. Instead, he found himself in the press box, both on his own doing and something out of his control.

In early December, he suffered a thigh injury against the Detroit Red Wings. At the time, it figured to be a longer-term injury. He was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome, and had surgeries after the fact to deal with complications. If your stomach can handle it, go ahead and look up what the injury is. It’s not fun.

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Djoos returned in February, nearly two months after the initial injury, and tallied an assist and then a goal in back-to-back games, when it appeared Djoos was back to his old self.

But Djoos’ play settled after that as he played in just nine games after the trade deadline. His Corsi For was 50 percent, but on a team that was skyrocketing possession-wise, it wasn’t the most encouraging sign.

In the stretch run after the deadline, Djoos’ Expected Goals percentage was a lowly 42.82 percent — good for 18th of 22 skaters. His High-Danger Chances percentage was even lower, at 38.33 percent — also placing him 18th on the team.

The playoffs were an unmitigated disaster for Djoos and Brooks Orpik, and really the entire Capitals defense corps, and Djoos sat in the press box after Game 3. He didn’t register a point and was a minus-three.

Which leaves us with an interesting view of Djoos’ season: Was it a season hampered by an injury, or one where he didn’t take the necessary steps forward?

The real answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. The injury really impacted Djoos down the stretch, and it’s possible he was never completely healthy even after he returned.

But the time for debate, especially now, is over for Djoos. The Capitals will almost assuredly extend Djoos a qualifying offer and retain him for next season. Meaning, there will be seven defensemen under contract, three of them on the left side already: Dmitry Orlov, Michal Kempny and Jonas Siegenthaler.

Should the Capitals keep the other three defenders (John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Nick Jensen) there will be a battle for the sixth defensive spot in camp between Djoos and Siegenthaler.

Grade C-: This one should come with an asterisk. As previously mentioned, the injury to Christian Djoos didn’t help things in his progression.

But for a player whose ceiling, at this time, looks to be on the third-pair, there isn’t a ton of time to waste as his career moves along.

Djoos has been a good contributor for the Capitals in recent years, and there’s good reason to believe when he returns healthy (and with a defensive partner not named Brooks Orpik) he’ll be able to take the next step forward.