Brian MacLellan knows there’s a certain level of volatility that comes with having a draft pick in the bottom third of the first round. He also understands that those are the spoils that come from having one of the better teams in the NHL the previous season.
MacLellan, the Washington Capitals’ general manager, believes his amateur scouting staff has identified a select few players who the team would love to have when it makes its first pick as the NHL draft begins on Friday in suburban Miami.
The Capitals advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals in May, losing to the New York Rangers in seven games. That left them with the No. 22 overall pick, along with four others, in the annual seven-round extravaganza.
MacLellan, of course, shared no secrets when speaking about the draft on Thursday, noting only that it was “more than likely” the team will keep the pick rather than trading it.
Other than that, MacLellan said the Capitals will utilize a familiar method when it comes to their draft haul.
“The philosophy is going to be to draft the best player — the player that has the most upside available,” MacLellan said. “We’ll continue with that, whether it’s defenseman or it’s at center or it’s on the wing. We’re not going to draft by position only, so we’ll be looking for a guy, or guys in that range, that we think can play at a high level.”
The first round will take place on Friday, with the next six rounds unfolding on Saturday. Washington does not have a second-round pick, and surrendered its own third-round pick, to the Calgary Flames in February in a trade for Curtis Glencross.
It did keep the third-round pick it obtained last year from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade that also netted the team goaltender Jaroslav Halak, but lost its seventh-round pick in a multi-team trade at last year’s draft.
Draft projections have the Capitals choosing from a wide variety of players in the first round, with NHL.com and TSN, among others, suggesting that they may select a defenseman with that pick.
A pair of Swedish players — Gabriel Carlsson, ranked the No. 2 international skater by NHL Central Scouting, and Oliver Kylington, ranked No. 6 — could be in play when the Capitals make that selection.
Jeremy Roy, an offensive-minded defenseman who’s currently playing for Sherbrooke of the QMJHL, could also be in play.
The Capitals have not selected a defenseman with their top pick since they chose John Carlson with the No. 27 overall pick in 2008. He, and Karl Alzner, selected in the first round the year before, have been stalwarts on Washington’s blue line since the 2009-10 season.
Because the Capitals don’t have a high pick, it’s incredibly unlikely that they will find someone who can make an impact within the next two years.
But, for MacLellan, it’s not about that. As always, the draft is about the future.
“I think we’re looking for a guy that if it has to take him three or four years, then he’s going to be the better player in three or four years,” MacLellan said. “I think it’s a projection game, and you know, the one that has the highest potential in our minds would be the one that we’d pick.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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