Washington Capitals: Jonas Siegenthaler 2020 Report Card

Grading Jonas Siegenthaler’s second Washington Capitals season.

Jonas Siegenthaler was counted on to play more games in his second Washington Capitals season after a solid rookie year showing he was the future of the defense. The Caps drafted Siegenthaler in 2015 in the second round at 57th overall. They also recently re-signed him to a one year deal at a bargain price of $800,000.

In 64 games, Siegenthaler had two goals and seven assists for nine points with 43 penalty minutes, a +11, while averaging 15:44 minutes of ice time. He blocked 105 shots while laying out 51 hits. He had a 50.7 percent five on five shot attempt percentage, a 52.1 percent expected goal percentage, and a 55.0 percent goal percentage.

The young defenseman took a big step forward while embracing a bigger role. He was a backbone of the bottom four defense and blocked a ton of shots making things a little easier for Braden Holtby or Ilya Samsonov. He also shined on the penalty kill which was sixth ranked in the NHL.

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Although Siegenthaler had a good second season he’ll be relied upon to step up even more as a crowded blue line is expected to form next season. Up top will probably be Brenden Dillon and John Carlson. The second pairing will be Dmitry Orlov and Justin Schultz. The third pairing will likely be his home.

Peter Laviolette is a defensive coach and he’ll be looking to get the best out of that unit as he enters his first season as Caps head coach. Although Siegenthaler is a reluctant shooter he is still a crucial part of the Caps breakout and transition play.

Siegenthaler is a defense first puck moving defender but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his offense begin to take off in his third season. His advanced stats were pretty good. He had a 50.14 percent Corsi For percentage, a 51.07 Fenwick For percentage and a 54.47 percent High Danger Chances For.

Grade B: The Caps liked what they saw in Siegenthaler his first two years in the NHL and they extended him for at least one more season. If he performs well, it’ll challenge the Caps in giving him a raise with the other contracts they have to worry about.

I could see Siegenthaler bulking up this season and being the backbone of a Caps defense determined to improve after a dismal year last season. He’ll also continue to shine on the penalty kill. What is your final grade for Siegs?