The prospects in this weekend’s NHL draft likely won’t make an impact on the ice next season — that’s the nature of a hockey player’s development. But the Washington Capitals say they could package this year’s draft picks to trade for an impact player.
After slipping into the playoffs last season, the Capitals sit in no man’s land with the No. 17 pick in Friday’s first round. The pick is unlikely to yield a prospect who can provide an immediate impact, but the aging roster needs fresh talent to take the load off 38-year-old superstar Alex Ovechkin.
With a handful of selections, including three picks in the first round, assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said the Capitals have options.
Washington has eight total draft picks — including three third-round selections — after offloading aging players Evgeny Kuznetsov, Joel Edmundson and Anthony Mantha at the trade deadline.
“It’s great to have those picks. … The more picks you have, the more fun it is for the guys,” Mahoney told reporters in a conference call Monday. “As far as would you trade picks to acquire guys you can put in your lineup, that’s dependent on what other teams are offering or what they’re trying to move.”
That draft capital could help the squad load up for the future, or it could be used as a bargaining chip in a potential trade. The Capitals also have 10 selections in next year’s draft.
“We have more flexibility going forward here,” general manager Brian MacLellan said last month of the team’s offseason plans. “We’ll see what the market is. … We’ve acquired some draft capital. I would anticipate we’re going to have some room to use that, so we’ll see what it brings.”
With a pick in the middle of the first round, the Capitals’ options will be limited in this year’s draft. Mahoney mentioned that the teams at the top of the draft will dictate Washington’s moves.
Where that prospect would slot into the organization remains to be seen. Mahoney and MacLellan have loaded up on forwards in recent years, targeting the position with each of their last four first-round picks.
“There’s a belief among those I’ve talked to that they’re going to target a [defenseman] this year after taking Ryan Leonard and Andrew Distal last year and Ivan Miroshnichenko the year prior,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote.
Other analysts noted a hole at goalie after the Capitals traded Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois last week.
Kuemper began the season as Washington’s starting goaltender but lost the job to Charlie Lindgren as the playoffs approached.
But the 30-year-old Lindgren is entering the final season of a three-year contract — his timeline doesn’t match up ideally with the Capitals’ young core.
Whoever they pick, whichever position, the Capitals are in a good spot, Mahoney said.
“We’re going to have a good player available to us at 17,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes as far as who the other teams are picking in front of us, but we feel confident that we’re going to get a good prospect at that pick.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.