Nick Jensen’s name has popped up in legitimate trade rumors for the first time this season.
Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Capitals’ veteran, right-handed blueliner was coveted by the Toronto Maple Leafs on the latest episode of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
Toronto ended up dealing two draft picks in a three-team trade on Thursday to acquire defender Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks. According to Friedman, they were also considering Jensen before pulling the trigger.
“They were looking at a lot of right-shot [defensemen],” Friedman said. “They were looking at David Savard. I heard Nick Jensen was kind of a name that they were looking at. They still have room to do some other things but those are definitely some names that they were looking at now that [Chris Tanev] is off the board.”
Jensen, 33, has gotten into 56 games this season and has recorded eight points (8a). The Capitals have him under contract through the 2025-26 season at a $4.o5 million cap hit.
Head coach Spencer Carbery has used Jensen in almost exclusively more defensive situations similar to how he deploys Nic Dowd from a forward perspective. Jensen sees the least amount of offensive zone starts among the team’s regular defenders and his five-on-five stats reflect that.
With Jensen on the ice this season at five-on-five, the Capitals have seen just 46 percent of the shot attempts, 44.9 percent of the expected goals, 45.9 percent of the scoring chances, and 46.5 percent of the high-danger chances. The team has an even goal differential in those minutes though.
While Toronto may be off the board as a buyer, the Capitals do appear to be shopping Jensen around a bit. They could entice a buyer to send back a valuable asset in return by retaining some of Jensen’s salary for the next two seasons after this one.
“I think they’re checking what the market is on their guys,” Friedman added later on The Jeff Marek Show. “Not their kids. I think they’re going to keep their kids but what’s the market on a Joel Edmundson or a Nick Jensen.”
The Capitals have a pivotal game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night where a loss could force general manager Brian MacLellan’s hand before the March 8 trade deadline. The matchup with the Flyers is one of just three games the team has before that deciding date.
