Capitals approach weekend’s NHL draft with flexibility after playoff run

The Capitals were wheeling and dealing this time last year, successfully bringing in fresh faces through trade and free agency while maximizing their final seasons with franchise icon Alex Ovechkin.

This year’s NHL summer frenzy, which begins with the first round of the draft on Friday, should be quieter for Washington’s front office.

Capitals President of Hockey Operations Brian MacLellan said last month that his team had filled most of its major holes. But assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said this week that every option is on the table, including a trade on draft night.

“If you’re making a trade to acquire an asset that you think is going to improve your team and get you over the hump and give you a chance to win a cup, then you go with that,” he said, noting his bias toward keeping picks as the team’s head of amateur scouting. “It depends what other teams throw at us.”

The Capitals hold two top-40 picks — the 27th selection in the first round and the 37th overall pick in the second. That should give Washington the firepower to make a trade if the club wants to load up for another postseason run.

The Capitals opened the 2024-25 campaign in no man’s land. The roster wasn’t bad enough to punt on the season and focus on developing young players, but most analysts agreed that the squad didn’t have the depth of a postseason contender.

But, led by a rejuvenated Ovechkin, Washington earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference and won their first playoff series since the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. A promising postseason run that ended in the second round could have Washington ditching draft picks to add immediate contributors — an extra center being the most obvious need.

A potential trade out of the first round is made more enticing by the lack of star power in this year’s draft class.

There are only a handful of players who look ready to impact an NHL roster, but Mahoney said the prospects know that. Several players confessed to him at the scouting combine that they could use more time to develop in college or the junior leagues.

“It’s an indication of the character, where you’re probably going to get players that have good character and are probably going to be willing, on and off the ice, to be the best they can be,” Mahoney said.

There is no consensus on who the Capitals could select on Friday. It’s nearly impossible to project with any kind of certainty when 26 other selections will determine the remaining player pool.

The Athletic tied Washington to Swedish center Milton Gastrin in their mock draft, citing the 18-year-old’s two-way potential. The Hockey Writers opted for another Swede in their pre-draft prediction for the Capitals: defenseman Sascha Boumedienne. ESPN predicted the Capitals would take forward Benjamin Kindel, who scored 35 goals for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League.

Whoever Washington takes in the first round could face high expectations.

The Capitals last picked 27th in 2008. They grabbed John Carlson, who now leads all defensemen in Washington history in games played, goals, assists and points.

The Capitals won’t lock into targeting a defenseman, winger, center, or goalie in the first round.

“You run that risk of saying, ’Well, let’s take a defenseman this year; we’re a little light on defense,’ and then a forward goes and ends up being a much better player. You’re probably kicking yourself after for not doing that,” Mahoney said. “We’ve always tried to stick with taking the best player available, unless you’re splitting hairs.”

The weekend’s draft will be the first “decentralized” version of the event in NHL history — the league considered its COVID-disrupted drafts in 2020 and 2021 remote affairs.

The Capitals don’t mind the change.

“It gives you more freedom to talk,” Mahoney said. “When you’re on the draft floor, the next table’s right here with scouts on other teams and that, so I guess it gives us a lot more freedom to speak freely and talk about things.”

The first round of the draft kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Capitals have four picks on the draft’s second and final day, which begins at noon on Saturday.

The offseason activities ramp up on Tuesday as free agency opens at noon and Capitals prospects report for the first day of developmental camp.