Having finally earned hockey's highest honors, your Washington Capitals are drafting in the enviable (if only symbolically) 31st slot. Following this, the Caps have Florida's middle of the round 2nd pick, the original 3rd, 4th, 6th, and Mr. Irrelevant 7th.
Rumors are abound, however, that Philipp Grubauer will be on the move today, with an ask of a first rounder. While goaltenders have traditionally not fetched top dollar, the thin goalie pool should help bump up the return. Though, Grubauer is a pending RFA with one year before unrestricted free agency, so either the team trading for him would probably want to work out a contract first, or the Caps will have to do a rare sign and trade.
That being said, the Caps have more picks than in recent past, and if they need to sweeten the pot to pull in a mid-high first, it would be reasonable. Throwing in the statistically lackluster 31st makes sense.
The Islanders, Red Wings, Hurricanes, Senators, and Blackhawks should all be looking for answers in goal. The Hurricanes will not trade their 2nd, and it is hard to envision a scenario wherein the Caps trade a young goalie within division, but the Isles draft at 11th and 12th, and may be willing to part with one of their picks if it means solving the Tavares crisis. The Sens, Wings, and Hawks draft 4th, 6th, and 8th respectively, which are probably a bit too much for Grubauer straight up.
If the Caps are able to move up to 11th, the top target would be Barrett Hayton, who projects like Patrice Bergeron, though if the Isles trade for Grubauer, I would imagine they move the 12th and keep Hayton for themselves. Higher, at 4th, the Caps could target Brady Tkachuk, and at 6th or 8th, any of Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, or Noah Dobson would be a good match.
Traditionally, the Caps have drafted the best player available, and this year we should expect no different. With plenty of talent in the first half of the draft, and being well positioned to move into the top 15 selections, we expect the Capitals to walk away with at least one really good player who can make an immediate impact.
Rumors are abound, however, that Philipp Grubauer will be on the move today, with an ask of a first rounder. While goaltenders have traditionally not fetched top dollar, the thin goalie pool should help bump up the return. Though, Grubauer is a pending RFA with one year before unrestricted free agency, so either the team trading for him would probably want to work out a contract first, or the Caps will have to do a rare sign and trade.
That being said, the Caps have more picks than in recent past, and if they need to sweeten the pot to pull in a mid-high first, it would be reasonable. Throwing in the statistically lackluster 31st makes sense.
The Islanders, Red Wings, Hurricanes, Senators, and Blackhawks should all be looking for answers in goal. The Hurricanes will not trade their 2nd, and it is hard to envision a scenario wherein the Caps trade a young goalie within division, but the Isles draft at 11th and 12th, and may be willing to part with one of their picks if it means solving the Tavares crisis. The Sens, Wings, and Hawks draft 4th, 6th, and 8th respectively, which are probably a bit too much for Grubauer straight up.
If the Caps are able to move up to 11th, the top target would be Barrett Hayton, who projects like Patrice Bergeron, though if the Isles trade for Grubauer, I would imagine they move the 12th and keep Hayton for themselves. Higher, at 4th, the Caps could target Brady Tkachuk, and at 6th or 8th, any of Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, or Noah Dobson would be a good match.
Traditionally, the Caps have drafted the best player available, and this year we should expect no different. With plenty of talent in the first half of the draft, and being well positioned to move into the top 15 selections, we expect the Capitals to walk away with at least one really good player who can make an immediate impact.
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