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Washington Capitals Report Card: Jonas Siegenthaler

By Benjamin Little

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 01: Washington Capitals defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (34) skates during warm ups before the Calgary Flames vs. the Washington Capitals NHL game on February 1, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 01: Washington Capitals defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (34) skates during warm ups before the Calgary Flames vs. the Washington Capitals NHL game on February 1, 2019 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Jonas Siegenthaler joined the Washington Capitals for part of the 2018-2019 season and showed a lot of promise in his few appearances.

Jonas Siegenthaler played 26 regular-season games for the Washington Capitals and logged an average ice-time of 14.2 minutes per-game.

With these restricted minutes, Siegenthaler was able to produce 4 assists while also being a respectable +6 on a team whose defense was easily their weakest link.

To make things tougher on the youngster, he was usually paired with the likes of Brooks Orpik or Madison Bowey when he was playing.

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Two defenseman that do not make their partner’s life any easier. The young Siegenthaler, however, had a knack for making the players he played with better and improving the Caps’ backend as a whole when he was slotted in the lineup.

Although his stats were nothing to write home about, they were absolutely fine for a younger defenseman taking his first strides into the National Hockey League. In particular, the +6 stat. Although I will be the first one to argue that a bad +/- does not indicate a player’s true ability, I will agree that a good +/- can help to argue how good a player (specifically a defenseman) is.

This helps us see that despite the Caps’ difficulties keeping the puck out of the net, Siegenthaler was not primarily responsible when he was slotted in. He was able to be on the ice for more Capitals’ goals.

It is also clear to see that he is developing trust amongst the coaching staff as when Christian Djoos was removed from the Caps’ playoff lineup, Siegenthaler was the immediate replacement and never left the series after being placed into the lineup for Game 4.

He was able to stick to a +/- of zero throughout his first four playoff games. This, again, helps to show that when Siegenthaler was on the ice, the Caps were never at a disadvantage. He was able to play a controlled game in stressful situations and impressed a lot of fans as well as the Washington coaching staff.

dark. Next. Tom Wilson Report Card

Grade B: Jonas Siegenthaler is a slick skater and a smart D-man who is able to move the puck up-and-out of the zone and safely onto the tape of one of his forwards. Caps fans, purchase your Siegenthaler jerseys now because with Washington more than likely losing Brooks Orpik this offseason, it seems only natural that Siegenthaler will take his place on the Caps’ blue line.

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