Washington Capitals: 2019 predictions for Nick Jensen

It was clear the Washington Capitals had big plans for Nick Jensen right after they traded for him. It might’ve been tunnel vision for a defense looking for a new direction.

The Nick Jensen acquisition before the trade deadline proved to be a smart deal. As an underappreciated defenseman for a team that was underachieving, coming to a team like the Washington Capitals helped him elevate his game and now he’s due for a big role in his first full season with the team.

The top two defensive pairs, considering Michal Kempny keeps progressing and is ready in time for opening night, is pretty much a lock with Kempny next to John Carlson. Because of that, expect Jensen to slot into the second pairing.

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The question is, who earns that spot next to him and the remainder of training camp and the next three preseason games will help dictate that decision.

But this isn’t an article for that. We can tinker and toy with our imagination who would be next to Jensen on the defense this season and how the third pairing would pan out. In the end, it shouldn’t phase Jensen whatsoever.

Jensen had five assists in 20 games. Not exactly a stat to write home about but it’s still a small sample size. I wouldn’t expect to see Jensen light up the scoresheet like a Mike Green but I predict he’ll progress and step up as a leader for the backend of the defense.

The defense did get better after the Jensen acquisition and it didn’t unravel again until the team lost Michal Kempny for the season. Not to put one player on a pedestal but the injury put a dent in how the defense could be structured for a deep run at another Stanley Cup.

In 17 games before Jensen arrived, the Capitals defense had a 3.88 goals-against average. After acquiring Jensen, the GAA improved to 2.55. Jensen also helped bolster a struggling penalty kill that went from 79% prior to his arrival to 89% after Jensen’s first 11 games with the Caps.

Jensen has the defense to help a Capitals team looking to improve in that department over the offseason. He’ll just need to improve his offensive numbers to make this trade a good acquisition across the board.

Jensen had a decent offensive season with the Red Wings just prior to his arrival with 13 assists and 15 points and there’s no reason to think a full season in Washington wouldn’t help his numbers increase.