Your favorite ex-Caps nephew has locked up a long-term deal with his new team. The New Jersey Devils announced on Tuesday morning that defender Jonas Siegenthaler has signed a five-year deal with an annual average of $3.4 million.

Siegenthaler, 25, was drafted in the second round by Washington in 2015. He played 97 games with the team between 2018 and 2021. But his ice time was limited, especially after the addition of Zdeno Chara, and so Siegenthaler requested a trade. “I wanted out of Washington because I didn’t play,” Siegenthaler said, through auto-translate. “Of course, that’s a bit of a shame, because I had it very well with my teammates and thought Washington as a city was cool.”

In April of that year the Capitals traded Siegenthaler to the Devils in exchange for a third-round pick.

Since moving to Jersey, Siegenthaler has been revealed as an excellent defensive player. Andy and Rono rated Siegenthaler the top defensive defender of last season. HockeyViz estimates that Siegenthaler lowers opponent attack by 14 percentage points.

From the Devils:

The New Jersey Devils today signed defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to a five-year contract extension, starting in the 2023-24 season, worth $17,000,000, with an annual average value of $3,400,000. The breakdown is as follows: 2023-24, $4,250,000; 2024-25, $4,000,000; 2025-26, $3,200,000; 2026-27, $3,000,000; 2027-28, $2,550,000. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.Siegenthaler, 25, set career highs across the board last season in games played (70), assists (13), points (14), shots (92), and in all time-on-ice metrics. He led all New Jersey defensemen in hits, ranked second among the team in blocked shots and was third in short-handed time on ice/time on ice per game. Prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, Siegenthaler signed a two-year contract worth $2,250,000 ($1,125,000 AAV) with New Jersey on July 9, 2021.

The Swiss 6’2, 220lbs. blueliner was acquired from Washington on April 11, 2021 in exchange for Arizona’s conditional third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (previously acquired in the Taylor Hall trade, Dec. 16, 2019). He skated in six games with New Jersey following the trade, missing time due to COVID-19 protocol. Prior to the trade, he appeared in seven games with the Capitals. Siegenthaler also represented Switzerland at the 2021 World Championship, skating in seven games.

In 2019-20, Siegenthaler posted two goals and seven assists for nine points with 43 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Capitals. He led Washington in short-handed time on ice average (3:11). Siegenthaler also skated in seven 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

In four NHL seasons, Siegenthaler has appeared in 175 career games, with both New Jersey and Washington, totaling three goals and 24 assists. He has accumulated 57 penalty minutes and a plus-8 rating, while also appearing in a total of 11 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Born May 6, 1997, the native of Zurich, Switzerland, was Washington’s second-round selection, 57th overall choice, in the 2015 NHL Draft. Prior to the NHL, he played parts of four seasons (2014-15 to 2017-18) with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate in Hershey. Before arriving in North America, Siegenthaler played for ZSC (NLA) and with the GC Kusnacht program. Following this season, he represented his home country at the 2022 World Championships, notching five points (1g-4a) in eight contests, second amongst defensemen. Siegenthaler has additionally suited up for Switzerland in international competition in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 World Junior Championships. In 2017, he was teammates with Devils’ captain, and close friend, Nico Hischier and they finished ranked top two in team scoring (Hischier, 4g-3a-7pts & Siegenthaler, 1g-5a-6pts).