Devils' Siegenthaler May Be All the Way Back

It's early in the 2024-25 season, but Jonas Siegenthaler looks like an elite shutdown defender again.

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Earlier this offseason, I wrote about how the New Jersey Devils needed Jonas Siegenthaler to bounce back. There was some uncertainty on the left side of the defense entering the season, especially with Luke Hughes out with an injury for a few weeks.

It's early in the season, but it sure looks like Siegenthaler is back. In fact, he may be all the way back. And the Devils may have an elite shutdown pairing as a result.

Siegenthaler's Rebound

Plenty of Devils struggled last season, and Siegenthaler wasn't immune to those struggles. After being one of the team's better defensemen between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he was one of the worst a season ago.

Siegenthaler's on-ice metrics weren't awful last season; he finished with an expected goals share (xG%) of 49.2 percent. Still, that's not great by his standards, and his impacts and shot suppression fell off a cliff. The Devils allowed 2.75 expected goals per 60 minutes with him on the ice, one of the worst rates on the team.

A big part of Siegenthaler's struggles last season was his inability to defend the rush. That was his strength in his first two seasons with the Devils, but he was one of the worst rush defenders in the NHL in 2023-24.

Siegenthaler was also incredibly turnover-prone, especially in the defensive zone. Between that and not being able to defend the rush, it's no wonder the Devils gave up plenty of quality chances when he was on the ice.

If Siegenthaler played like that to start this season, the Devils would have some trouble, even if Brenden Dillon was playing better than expected, which he is. Given that Hughes is only in his second pro season, the Devils needed Siegenthaler and Dillon to carry the left side of the blue line.

Fortunately, Siegenthaler looks like his 2021-22 self when he was one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. He's turned back into one of the Devils' best shot suppressors, allowing 1.76 expected goals per 60 minutes.

As Hockey Stat Cards tweeted out earlier this week, Siegenthaler leads the NHL in Defensive Net Rating, with a defense rating of +3.2. That number even improved to plus +3.8 after the 6-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.