Washington Capitals: Examining the new-look defense

The biggest difference in the success and failure of the 2019-20 Washington Capitals will lie in the performance of their defense.

And it won’t look the same. Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen, two former Pittsburgh Penguins blueliners who were brought in to help fix a struggling Washington Capitals defense, have departed town. The Capitals look to have these holes filled with a player they acquired from a big divisional foe as well as locking in one of their young defensemen for at least one more season.

The reconstruction of the Capitals defense, or rather quick retool, actually began back in February at the deadline when they traded Madison Bowey to the Detroit Red Wings for Nick Jensen. Things didn’t quite go as planned. Michal Kempny‘s season-ending hamstring injury derailed a blueline built to withstand another battle toward another Stanley Cup. Instead, things were a mess.

Kempny has shown on social media progress of rehabbing from his hamstring injury. Best case scenario is that he gets in on opening night right on the top pairing next to John Carlson, who I think will be next in line to get the “A” patch after Orpik hung up his skates.

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Carlson and Kempny paired together this past season had a Corsi-For percentage of 52.18%. When Carlson wasn’t with Kempny, his CF dropped to 48.92%. During the 2018 Stanley Cup run, the duo’s CF was at 49.72%. Without Kempny in 2019, Carlson’s playoff CF percentage plummeted to 41.33% (via Natural Stat Trick).

The defense will go as far as Carlson leads them and it’ll be a welcome sign for him having Kempny back for opening night if he continues to progress from his recovery.

For Dmitry Orlov, he has to adjust to new pairing chemistry with Niskanen’s departure. It’s likely Nick Jensen will be next to Orlov on the second pairing, a blueliner the Capitals acquired before last season’s deadline from the Red Wings in a trade with Madison Bowey. The Capitals subsequently extended his contract after the trade for four-years worth $10-million. Both defensemen can create offense.

Orlov was second to Carlson in points with 29 and Jensen scored 13 goals with the Red Wings before coming to Washington. With a full 82-game season with the Capitals, expect an uptick in Jensen’s numbers.

Rounding out the defense will be the newest face of the blueline, Radko Gudas acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Niskanen trade. Gudas was second on the Flyers last season with 255 hits and was voted by the Philadelphia media as the “most outstanding defenseman”. As long as he plays a disciplined game and avoids suspension, he’ll do just fine.

Then there’s the potential competition between Christian Djoos and Jonas Siegenthalter. Djoos was rewarded a $1.25 million salary for this upcoming season by a neutral arbitrator following his arbitration hearing. After enduring a sophomore slump with a compartment syndrome injury setback, Djoos looks for a healthy 2019-20 and redemption.

Siegenthaler had a strong rookie campaign and deserves a spot in the opening night lineup but it’s complicated with the salary cap constraints. There’s a possibility he might begin the season in Hershey so Washington can get under the salary cap before opening night.

Next. A look at Brian MacLellan's outstanding offseason. dark

Overall, the defense will have it’s share of established returners and young up and comers. Should these pairings work and the blueline remains healthy, expect Washington’s defense to be one of the stingiest in the NHL.

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