The Washington Capitals are set to pick twice in the first round of the NHL Draft for the first time in over a decade.
In addition to their own pick, Washington acquired the Anaheim Ducks’ first-rounder as part of the John Carlson trade this spring, now holding both the 16th and 18th overall selections.
The Capitals last made two first-round picks in 2012, taking Filip Forsberg 11th overall and Tom Wilson 16th overall. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Caps assistant general manager Ross Mahoney was enthusiastic about the prospect of two top-20 picks.
“We’re pretty excited, actually, to have the 16 and 18,” he said. “I think there’s definitely going to be some good players available for us. I don’t think it drops off until a little bit after [those picks]. So yeah, the guys are pretty excited. The scouts are really excited about being able to have those two picks… It’s not like one pick is 16 and one pick is 30. They’re in a very good range there for us.”
Having two picks nearly back-to-back has made the scouting department’s job easier, Mahoney said, with the team identifying a group of players they could select at that draft position.
“I think there’s a group probably of five or six (players) that I think, ‘Our two guys could be in that group of five or six.’ But I get surprised every year. We’re all of a sudden saying, “Oh, wow, so-and-so is still there, and we have a chance to get him.’”
There’s always the chance, too, that the Capitals opt to trade the picks, either as part of a package for a current NHL player or to move up in the draft order. General manager Chris Patrick said in April that the team is continuing to hunt for a high-scoring forward via trade, as well as a right defenseman.
Mahoney also didn’t rule out the possibility of the Capitals trying to move up, though he wasn’t sure if teams would be open to trading top-10 picks.
“You strategize and (have) those discussions for sure,” Mahoney said. “Do we package them up, move up? Or, you know, do you take one of them and move back? That’s all the strategy that goes into it before you get to the draft. And then as the draft is going along, you’re making those decisions as to what you would do or try to do.
“Right now we’re very happy with 16 and 18, but you always talk about either way, you know, trading up or trading back… honestly it’s part of the fun of it, the strategy of it.”
Mahoney emphasized that the organization’s philosophy is picking the best player available rather than drafting by position, but pointed to center and defense as areas the Caps’ prospect pool would like to shore up, especially as wingers graduate to the NHL level.
“If a center was available, I think that would help,” Mahoney said. “I’m saying that because of the Ryan Leonards, Andrew Cristall, Lynden Lakovic, there are a lot of wingers. And there’s always a need for a defenseman, too. Probably it would be nice to get a bigger defenseman in the draft, if we could. Obviously we have Cole Hudson coming along, but he’s a little bit of the smaller variety, highly gifted and talented offensively.
“So if we could get a bigger defenseman and a bigger center, I think that would help, but it depends on who’s there. And there’s some really good players at all positions for us.”
While Mahoney anticipates plenty of defensemen being available when the Capitals pick, they could have more difficulty finding a center.
“I think the draft is pretty heavy on defensemen and left-wingers when I look overall, as far as the first round, which is kind of interesting,” he said. “I think a lot of years there’s probably more centers that are available in the top 32 picks, as compared to this year.”
The NHL Draft will kick off on Friday in Buffalo, NY, with rounds 2-7 to follow on Saturday. This year marks the second straight decentralized draft for the league, with Capitals management set to make its picks from the team’s practice facility in Arlington, Va.
