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Washington Capitals: Players who will improve in 2019-2020

By David Trice

RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 28: Jakub Vrana #13 of the Washington Capitals scores a game tying goal and celebrates with teammate Carl Hagelin #62 during an NHL game on March 28, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MARCH 28: Jakub Vrana #13 of the Washington Capitals scores a game tying goal and celebrates with teammate Carl Hagelin #62 during an NHL game on March 28, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: Carl Hagelin #62 of the Washington Capitals in action against the St. Louis Blues during a preseason NHL game at Capital One Arena on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: Carl Hagelin #62 of the Washington Capitals in action against the St. Louis Blues during a preseason NHL game at Capital One Arena on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

More Time Needed Players

This category takes into account the players the Capitals had on their roster for stretches of last year, but may not have had a full season with the team.

The main culprits for these types of circumstances are players added via trades and those who suffered form a lengthy injury. For the Capitals this includes Christian Djoos who dealt with an injury, which lingered throughout the season. Additions the Capitals made around the trade deadline included Carl Hagelin and Nick Jensen.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 11: Washington Capitals defenseman Christian Djoos (29) warms up for the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 11, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 11: Washington Capitals defenseman Christian Djoos (29) warms up for the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 11, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

For Djoos, no one can forget his ability to be a reliable contributor during the Capitals playoff run which lead to the Stanley Cup and his name being engraved in history. This impact created some excitement for the new season last year where the team would have him for the full season, but he needed surgery for compartment syndrome in his left leg.

The injury and recovery limited Djoos to 45 games with one goal and nine assists for 10 points, it also sapped him of his mobility which is a critical asset to his game.

While Djoos will most likely play better than he did last year, the sample size is a little too small with him only playing two seasons. So what can really be expected of him, a season like his rookie year or could he continue to struggle while coming back from his injury.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 20: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Justin Williams (14) and Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen (3) fight for a loose puck in the first period on April 20, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 20: Carolina Hurricanes right wing Justin Williams (14) and Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen (3) fight for a loose puck in the first period on April 20, 2019, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Nick Jensen showed enough promise on the Detroit Red Wings that the Capitals made the trade to acquire the defenseman and immediately signed him to a contract extension for four years and $10 million, while not even taking the ice for the Capitals.

Since he had good production as a top 4 defenseman for the Red Wings it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Jensen being a good addition to the bottom 4 pairings in Washington. Unfortunately, Jensen struggled to find his footing in the playing style of the Capitals. The team is hoping that with a full off season of training and extended time with the rest of the roster, Jensen can be relied on as a top four option again.

By having him in this role it allowed the Capitals to find some cap relief by trading away the contract of Niskanen to a cheaper option for the bottom pairing in Gudas. Again I believe Jensen will be better than last season with the Capitals, but he has been a constant sub 20 point defenseman over three seasons in the NHL.

If he manages to work well in the second pairing role he will most likely have his first full season in Washington with greater than 20 points and be a key piece to the puzzle throughout the season. But I think the greatest improvement will come from the next candidate.

washington capitals
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 10: Carl Hagelin #62 of the Washington Capitals in action against the Winnipeg Jets at Capital One Arena on March 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Carl Hagelin was once thought of as a thorn in the side of the Capitals during the playoffs while a member of the Penguins. Since the Capitals were in need of an improved penalty kill midseason, they took advantage and added a player to help out.

Hagelin was able to immediately become the best penalty killer on the team using his incredible speed as the missing piece. This was a pleasant surprise for a player who already had been traded earlier in the season from the Penguins to the Kings.

Another surprise was the amount of offensive he was able to generate given his struggles with his previous two teams, he scored a season high of 3 goals and 8 assists with the Capitals.

That accounted for approximately 60% of his total offensive output for the season, thus he was a better fit with the Capitals.

Given his variance in offensive production while with all his teams from 2018-19, and the impact he was able to have on the PK right away for the Capitals, there is no reason to think that with a full season and more balanced line mates he wouldn’t be able to find his old self. Early in his career with the Rangers he was a consistent 30 point producer, and even found that touch again in 2017-18 with the Penguins.

I believe with a full season with a Stanley Cup contender like the Capitals, we will see Hagelin find the old touch and be a key piece to their playoff run. His improvement will be the most impactful among the players in need of more time with the team.

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