During the first round of the NHL Draft, the hometown Blackhawks elicited loud cheers from the United Center crowd when general manager Stan Bowman asked Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to come on stage before the team’s first pick of the draft.
Toews and Kane announced the franchise’s first selection of the draft, Henri Jokiharju, with the 29th overall pick.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
The Washington Capitals have traded away many of their assets to aggressively contend for the Stanley Cup over the last two seasons. That left them with only four selections in the 2017 NHL Draft – all from the fourth round on.
“We looked to trade up a couple of times,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “But unfortunately [the players we wanted] got taken before we got there.”
Three of the Capitals’ four selections were defensemen. The Capitals made their first selection in the fourth round, selecting Tobias Geisser 120th overall. They followed those picks up with Swedish defenseman Sebastian Walfridsson (fifth round), American defenseman Benton Maas (sixth round), and left winger Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen (seventh round).
Capitals assistant GM Ross Mahoney talked about the picks immediately after the draft concluded.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has led the NHL to three lockouts and is now the man behind disallowing NHL participation in the 2018 Olympics. Bettman, who is wildly unpopular among fans, is universally booed whenever he speaks in front of NHL fans.
But this year, something seemed different. Bettman, dare we say, is having fun with the negativity.
By Ian Oland 3 years ago
The Washington Capitals just had their first pick of the 2017 NHL Draft. On Day 2. At pick number 120.
With their fourth-round pick, the Caps selected Tobias Geisser out of Switzerland. The 6-foot-4, 190 pounds defenseman shoots left.
Here’s what we know about him.
Friday night during the NHL Draft, the player who arguably got the most attention online wasn’t one of the players drafted in the first round. It was for what one of the players drafted in the first round did to him.
With the fourth overall pick, the Colorado Avalanche selected Brooks Bandits’ defenseman Cale Makar out of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, arguably the best player in the draft.
As NBCSN aired a highlight package focusing on the defender’s slick puck control, Makar doled out counter hit and crushed a fellow AJHL player behind the net.
We learned that fellow player was actually Jack Thomas and he has feelings too.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
CHICAGO — It seemed it would be quiet night for the Washington Capitals during the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center. They had already traded their pick, the 27th one overall in the Entry Draft, to the St. Louis Blues as part of their trade deadline rental of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
But just under 90 minutes before the show was to begin, the Caps surprised the hockey world by re-signing TJ Oshie to a massive eight-year, $46 million dollar contract, carrying a salary cap hit of $5.75 million.
“Osh means a lot to us,” Capitals head coach Barry Trotz told a small gaggle of reporters here. “It’s a great message not only to our team, but our fans. I think he’s a big part of our success. I think it’s a huge signing. Good job by the organization.”
By Chris Gordon 3 years ago
After Adidas’ new jerseys for the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues leaked on Tuesday afternoon, the hat that will be worn on Draft Day was leaked.
Woof.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
