Jonas Siegenthaler
"You never get a second chance to make a first
impression."
-- Oscar Wilde…or Mark Twain…or Will Rogers…or a 1966 clothing ad
Jonas Siegenthaler is the first
of his kind in one respect with the Washington Capitals. He is the first player drafted in team
history who was born in Switzerland (Timo Helbling, also born in Switzerland,
was obtained by the Caps via trade in 2007 and played two games for
Washington). When he took the ice on
November 9th against the Columbus Blue Jackets in what was his first
NHL game, he became the 178th defenseman to suit up for the Caps in
team history (Tyler Lewington and Nick Jensen would become the 179th
and 180th defensemen to dress for the club later in the season).
Siegenthaler appeared in 26 games
in this, his rookie season, all but one of them over a 38-game stretch from
November 9th through February 5th (he appeared in the
regular season finale on April 6th).
And while he posted modest scoring numbers (0-4-4), his four points were
one more than Mike Green scored in his first NHL season (1-2-3 in 22 games in
2005-2006) and only two fewer than what John Carlson posted in his inaugural
season (1-5-6 in 22 games in 2009-2010).
Not surprisingly, there was a bit
of an up-and-down quality to Sigenthaler’s season. He recorded three of his four points and was
plus-7 in a 15-day/seven-game stretch from December 14th through
December 29th. In the 19
games that preceded and followed that stretch, he was 0-1-1, minus-1.
Fearless’ Take… Jonas Siegenthaler
made his debut on a defending Stanley Cup champion, so there was a lot of
talent and support around him. Still, he
finished the season with the eighth-best plus-minus rating among first year defensemen
in team history (plus-6).
Cheerless’ Take… Siegenthaler is a work in progress who might
contribute in a more meaningful way down the road, but in 2018-2019, the Caps
were just 14-9-3 in the 26 games in which he played. And, he did not age well in this regard. Washington was 12-4-1 in his first 17 games,
2-5-2 in the last nine games he played.
Odd Siegenthaler Fact… All four
points Siegenthaler recorded this season came on the road. He was also a plus-5 in 12 games away from
home. He was 0-0-0, plus-1, in 14 games
at Capital One Arena.
Game to Remember… November 9th vs. Columbus
It is not the best of circumstances in which to make an NHL
debut, but it often happens that one player’s good fortune comes, if not at the
expense of, than simultaneously with another’s misfortune. Such was the case in early November, when
John Carlson was declared out of the Caps’ game on November 9th
against Columbus with a lower-body injury.
With Brooks Orpik already on the shelf, the team called up defensemen Aaron Ness and Jonas Siegenthaler from the Hershey Bears.
The particulars of Siegenthaler’s debut against the Blue
Jackets did not jump off the page – no points, an “even” plus-minus rating, a
shot on goal, three hits, two blocked shots, along with three giveaways in 12
minutes of ice time – but it was a solid performance against a playoff-caliber
opponent.
Game to Forget… December
19th vs. Pittsburgh
Jonas Siegenthaler was baptized into the Capitals-Penguins
rivalry in a mid-December game at Capital One Arena. It took him two shifts to take his first
penalty against the Penguins. He lost
track of Sidney Crosby coming around from behind the net to redirect an Evgeni
Malkin feed that tied the game at a goal apiece less than three minutes after
the Caps took the lead. He did not skate
the last six minutes of the contest with the Caps trying to get the tying goal
in a 2-1 game. Siegenthaler finished his
night without a point, no shots on goal (two attempts), two giveaways, and the
penalty in 8:24 of ice time, his lowest of the season.
Postseason… It
certainly was not his fault, but after Jonas Siegenthaler took the ice for the
first time in Game 4 of the opening round of the playoffs through Game 7, the
Caps went 1-3 after taking a 2-1 lead in the first three games of the
series. He did not record a point in any
of the four games and did not record a shot on goal in Games 4-6. He did, however, average more than twice as
much ice time (16:00 per game) than the player he replaced, Christian Djoos
(7:24), although that number was inflated some by his logging 20:27 in the Caps’
double overtime loss in Game 7 that ended their season.
Looking ahead… Siegenthaler is entering the last year of his entry-level contract that carries a cap hit of $714,116.
He will be a non-arbitration eligible restricted free agent upon its
expiration. The Caps are not an
especially deep team in defensive prospects (depending on how one stands on the
potential of Alexander Alexeyev or Lucas Johansen), and the Caps could be
losing the services of Brooks Orpik and/or Matt Niskanen this off-season. It leaves a clear path for Siegenthaler to
take on a bigger role in his development program.
In the end…
Jonas Siegenthaler, who has (and
who seems likely to have with this team) an opportunity for growth, might not
have a long resume with the Caps, but he is not inexperienced for one as young
as he is (he turned 22 years old this month).
He has played in European hockey, has represented his country multiple
times, and has more than 40 games of AHL experience over three seasons, and
that is just since his being drafted in 2015.
If there is a Capital he resembles
that fans might recognize, it might be ex-Cap Karl Alzner. Both were of a quiet demeanor on the ice,
both could be physical from time to time but depended more on position and
angles, and neither seems to have much of an offensive upside. Each might be thought of as the modern
defensive defenseman, not the more physical species that might be illustrated
by Brooks Orpik, a development product of the pre-2004-2005 era of hockey.
With the potential for significant
changes on the Caps’ blue line heading into next season, the team’s success
might depend in significant part on just how much more Siegenthaler develops
into a dependable night-in, night-out defenseman. His will be a story to watch as the coming
season unfolds, but his first experience in the NHL provides some measure of
hope for a successful future.
Grade: B
Photo: Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
No comments:
Post a Comment