Washington Capitals: Top 5 preseason predictions

LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 07: James Neal #18 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Christian Djoos #29 of the Washington Capitals shake hands after Game Five of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Capitals defeated the Golden Knights 4-3 to win the Stanley Cup Final Series 4-1. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

#5 Christian Djoos will impress

One defenseman on the hot seat is Christian Djoos but it wasn’t necessarily his fault. Part of it was injury and the other was how Jonas Siegethaler earned a spot in the lineup. Now the two will dish it out for that third and final blueline pairing.

Aside from the significant injury, Djoos was scratched from the lineup as a result of some tough breaks plus Siegenthaler. His injury came on his thigh and he missed up to two months. Djoos is still a good defenseman and he helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup his rookie season and over the summer he got a raise.

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: Washington Capitals defenseman Christian Djoos (29) in action during game three of the NHL Eastern Conference finals between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 15, 2018, at Capital One Arena, in Washington, D.C.Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2.(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Djoos was awarded via arbitration a $1.25 million extension. He trained in both his home in Sweden as well as the informal workouts, been a full go at training camp and played in Monday’s preseason game against the Blackhawks. He assisted on Travis Boyd’s power play goal, another player looking to fight for his place in the lineup.

He’ll not only have to compete against Siegenthaler but possibly prospects Alex Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary as well. Djoos will keep working to outperform the competition and you’ll see a breakout game from him soon.