FOR THE FIRST time since 2012, the Capitals have an extra pick, with eight selections to their credit. Washington has been good in the early rounds recently, hoping to cash in on wild cards such as Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko, while also looking good with their first pick last year with Ryan Leonard. They’ve taken kids from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in back-to-back drafts (Leonard and Ryan Chesley) after a long period without a pick from the NTDP.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS: Surprisingly, the answer is offense. For years, the Caps never had a problem scoring, but attrition in the ranks has impacted that greatly. Undoubtedly, next year’s main mission will be getting Alex Ovechkin the all-time NHL goals record, but they’ll need some other threats to keep opposing defenses…
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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Draft Preview 2024