Jensen, 28, a St. Cloud St. product (where he was a teammate of Caps center Nic Dowd), was a fifth-round choice (150th overall) of the Red Wings in the 2009 NHL Draft. A native of Rogers, Minn., Jensen is finishing his third NHL campaign. He debuted with Detroit in 2016-17 after playing 222 games with the Wings' AHL Grand Rapids affiliate over a span of four seasons.
In his three seasons with the Wings, Jensen's shorthanded ice time per game went from 1:32 to 1:55 to 2:46 per game this season, tops among the team's defensemen in 2018-19. Jensen ranks among the league's top 30 in shorthanded ice time per game this season, and he is averaging 20:48 per night overall this season.
Jensen has played in 190 regular season NHL games with Detroit, totaling six goals and 43 points. He has two goals and 15 points in 60 games with the Wings this season. During his days at St. Cloud St. and Grand Rapids, Jensen showed some offensive ability, and the Caps may be able to tap into that in the days and seasons ahead.
With Friday's addition of the right-handed Jensen, the Caps can now put forth a right-handed trio of John Carlson, Matt Niskanen and Jensen. The move leaves veteran Brooks Orpik and sophomore Christian Djoos as the team's left-handed options behind Dmitry Orlov and Kempny.
Bowey was Washington's second-round pick (53rd overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft. He reached the NHL early in the 2017-18 season, and acquitted himself well in 51 regular season games as a rookie. But the late-season acquisition of Michal Kempny cut into Bowey's playing time, and he did not appear in the playoffs.
This season, Bowey played in 33 of Washington's 61 games, scoring his first NHL goal at Ottawa on Dec. 29. A 23-year-old native of Winnipeg, Bowey should be able to garner more consistent playing time with the Wings, and hopefully his career can take off in Detroit.
