3 Nick Jensen D

Jensen registered an assist and blocked two shots while logging 20:17 of ice time during Thursday's 6-4 win over the Sabres.

Jensen has helpers in consecutive season openers and the Capitals can only hope the offense doesn't go dormant for the Minnesotan as it did during the 2019-20 season when he managed just eight assists in 68 games. The 30-year-old will need to shine to fend off competition from Jonas Siegenthaler and Trevor van Riemsdyk for playing time, making him a risky fantasy asset even in deeper leagues.

Jensen skated on the fourth defense pairing alongside Jonas Siegenthaler during Monday's practice, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press reports.

Jensen's reduced role is not a surprise given the offseason signing of Justin Schultz, but the lines in Washington's first practice certainly suggest the Minnesotan is headed for a depth role this year. The 30-year-old managed just eight assists in 68 games during the 2019-20 season, and the lack of a guaranteed spot in the lineup exiles him to the fringes of fantasy relevance for the time being.

Jensen tallied an assist, a plus-2 rating, three hits and four blocked shots during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.

Jensen now has helpers in consecutive games -- averaging 21:26 of ice time during those contests. The Minnesotan has been very underwhelming in his first full season with the Capitals, posting just eight assists in 67 games. Despite better play of late, the 29-year-old is still not recommended for postseason fantasy purposes unless he can become a more consistent offensive producer.

Jensen recorded an assist and a shot across 16:25 of ice time in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Penguins.

Jensen now has just four points, 50 shots on net and 53 blocked shots through 53 games. He starts just 47.5 percent of shifts in the offensive zone, so the lack of points isn't necessarily surprising, albeit a bit disappointing after posting 20 points last year. His fantasy value isn't salvaged by blocked shots or hits, either.

Jensen has not registered a point in his last 37 games.

Jensen's offensive output has evaporated since Oct. 18 and he has just two helpers in 45 games. The 29-year-old will need to improve his performance to stave off a challenge to his ice time from Christian Djoos or top prospects like Martin Feherevary in the near future. He's a non-factor for fantasy purposes.

Jensen has no points and a minus-4 rating over his last 22 games.

Jensen's offensive struggles have to be of at least slight concern to the Capitals front office who signed the Minnesotan to a four-year, $10 million contract extension immediately after acquiring him in a trade from the Red Wings in February. The 29-year-old should break out of this slump at some point, but his fantasy value is certainly in the ditch for the foreseeable future.

Jensen has no points and a minus-4 rating in his last 17 games.

Jensen has been demoted to the third defense pairing and, suffice it to say, has not delivered quite what the Capitals were hoping for after signing the 29-year-old to a four-year extension in February. The Minnesotan is a negligible fantasy asset until he can revive his offensive production.

Jensen registered an assist and three hits while logging 16:40 of ice time during Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

The helper snapped a six-game scoring drought for Jensen, who has managed just two points and a minus-4 rating in eight games to start the season. The 29-year-old has a chance to best his career high of 15 points if he can log regular minutes, but he can be safely ignored in most fantasy formats until he finds another gear offensively.

Jensen registered a power-play assist and two blocked shots while logging 20:04 of ice time during Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win against the Blues.

In his first full season with the Capitals after being acquired via trade in February, Jensen looks to have inherited Matt Niskanen's role on the second pairing with Dmitry Orlov. The 29-year-old has a good chance to have a career year now that he's had more time to acclimate to his new surroundings and could provide some modest fantasy value in standard leagues if he can become a more consistent point producer from the back end.

Jensen has gone nine straight games without a point dating back to the regular season.

While the Red Wings castoff isn't relied upon heavily for offense, the Capitals need all the ancillary scoring they can get with the defending champs getting set for Game 7 against the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Jensen's 14 hits and 12 blocked shots amid the scoring slump is a typical output, so it's not like he's been completely off the map in the most crucial part of the season.

Jensen recorded an assist on Nic Dowd's game-winning goal during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Jensen has registered three helpers in his last four games as his role is increasing following the seemingly long-term injury to Michal Kempny (leg). The Minnesotan has two goals and 19 points in 76 games between the Capitals and Red Wings.

Jensen posted an assist in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Philadelphia.

The assist was Jensen's first point in his last eight appearances and moved him to 16 in 65 games this season. The 28-year-old blueliner also recorded a team-high five shots on goal in the win.

Jensen will make his Capitals debut Sunday versus the Rangers, per coach Todd Reirden.

The Capitals acquired Jensen from the Red Wings on Friday in exchange for Madison Bowey and a 2020 second-round draft pick. Also, in a somewhat surprising move, the Caps bestowed a four-year, $10 million contract extension on the 28-year-old later that day. The defending Stanley Cup champions seem to already appreciate Jensen's relentless work ethic and gamer mentality. However, the Capitals will keep him out of Saturday's contest against the Sabres in order to get him more acquainted with his new team.

The Capitals inked Jensen to a four-year, $10 million contract extension Friday, Frank Seravalli of TSN.ca reports.

Although some felt the Capitals slightly overpaid for the blueliner, his no-frills attitude should be a boon to a team that needs to defend its title. Jensen will stay in D.C. through at least the 2022-23 campaign, bringing along his 15 points through 60 games this season. Jensen will likely move into a depth role for a more talented Caps squad, consequently limiting his fantasy upside.

The Red Wings traded Jensen to the Capitals on Friday in exchange for Madison Bowey and a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Jensen's name floated around as the Red Wings have quickly slid away from playoff contention, and the Capitals certainly weren't shy about wanting to increase their defensive depth ahead of Monday's trade deadline. The 28-year-old defender should be able to displace Christian Djoos on the depth chart, however, his fantasy value is not likely to see an improvement as he moves to more of a depth role with the Capitals.

The Red Wings are interested in re-signing Jensen, who would otherwise be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

As noted by St. James, Jensen has been a bargain for the Red Wings, as he's cashing out the balance of a two-year, $1.625 million contract, and the Wings are said to be comfortable honoring a raise in the industrial defenseman's salary. While not a viable fantasy option, Jensen adds value to the Wings as a right-shot shutdown type who thrives on the penalty kill. It certainly sounds like Jensen will remain in Motown despite how the Wings are well out of playoff contention and figure to be sellers at the trade deadline.

Jensen finished Tuesday's 3-2 win over Nashville with two assists.

The stay-at-home blueliner has now collected four helpers over his past five games and sits at 15 points through 56 games in 2018-19. Finishing tied for the team lead with three blocked shots, the 28-year-old was also a force defensively in Tuesday's win.

Jensen recorded an assist, a blocked shot, a hit and a plus-1 rating in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks.

The 28-year-old has only three points (all helpers) in 18 games since Christmas, but Jensen has been a reliable stay-at-home defender during that time, tallying 19 blocks and 16 hits with a plus-3 rating while averaging more than 22:30 in ice time a game. The 2009 fifth-round pick doesn't offer much fantasy value, but he's developed into a solid blueliner in his third NHL campaign.

Jensen logged 20:10 of ice time in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Jets.

Jensen didn't surface on the scoresheet, but he's now cleared 20 minutes in nine consecutive games. This is what happens when Detroit has to compensate for a rash of injuries on the blue line, but even with the increased responsibility, Jensen doesn't have the offensive chops necessary to make a splash in fantasy pools.

Jensen was quiet in Sunday's 2-0 home loss to the Avalanche, marking the second time all season that he'd be left out of the scoring, hit and blocked-shot columns in a single game.

Jensen is by no means a reliable offensive producer -- he's collected only six points through 26 games -- but the industrious blueliner does have two goals on 28 shots for a robust shooting percentage (7.1) to complement 44 blocked shots. It's safe to leave him as a free agent in virtually any fantasy hockey setting, but know that Jensen is held in high regard by the management staff, which explains why he's rarely seen in the press box.