Washington Capitals: Re-Drafting The 2007 NHL Draft
Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals had 10 draft picks in 2007. They only got one NHL player out of those 10 guys. How different could things have been?
The Washington Capitals had a chance to do something special during the 2007 NHL Draft. At that time, their rebuild was well underway. They had already drafted Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green. Those three, along with 2002 first rounder Alex Semin, would form a core four for the Washington Capitals that would be one of the most exciting teams in the NHL over the course of four seasons. In 2007, the Washington Capitals had a chance to make that core four even better. They missed out on that opportunity, as they only drafted one player who has played in the NHL at all. Hindsight is 20/20, so let’s warm up the time machine and look at who the Washington Capitals drafted and who they should have drafted instead.
Washington Capitals 2007 NHL Re-Draft
FIRST ROUND: The Caps selected defenseman Karl Alzner with the fifth overall pick. Alzner has been a great defenseman for the Caps and was an underrated member of Bruce Boudreau’s Caps. Despite having to deal with Dale Hunter and Adam Oates and their respective awful defensive systems, Alzner was the right pick for the Caps. They could have drafted Jakub Voracek, Logan Couture or Ryan McDonagh. However, I think the Caps made the right decision in getting Alzner.
SECOND ROUND: The Caps had two second round picks in 2007. They drafted defensemen Josh Godfrey (34th) and Theo Ruth (46th). Nine picks after Godfrey, the Montreal Canadiens selected defenseman P.K. Subban. With 227 points in 366 games, Subban would have made the Caps even better. Granted, the Capitals likely wouldn’t have been able to hang on to Subban, John Carlson and Green, but even then, the Caps could have picked which one of the three to trade and gotten a pretty nice return for either one of them.
While Theo Ruth never played in the NHL, the Caps did get some value from him. They traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Sergei Fedorov in 2008. Fedorov had 46 points in 70 games for the Washington Capitals. The Caps could have gotten long-term value from forward T.J. Galiardi, forward Nick Spaling, or forward Wayne Simmonds. All three were drafted after Ruth in the second round.
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THIRD ROUND: The Caps selected center Phil Desimone, who never played a game in the NHL. Though to be fair, almost no one around him did. The Washington Capitals could have gotten some value from drafting center Joakim Andersson or forward Corey Tropp in the third round, but neither of them have been consistent NHL players.
FOURTH ROUND: In the fourth round, the Caps selected center Brett Bruneteau. He never played a game in the NHL. No outstanding players were selected after Brett in the fourth round, but defenseman Justin Falk, forward Dwight King or forward Matt Halischuk would have at least given the Caps some value. Side note: the Caps originally held the same pick that Kings defenseman Alec Martinez was drafted with, but they traded it for a fourth rounder in 2008 and a sixth rounder in 2007.
FIFTH ROUND: In the fifth round, the Caps selected forward Brett Leffler. Normally, I wouldn’t care too much if a fifth rounder doesn’t play any games in the NHL because a majority of them don’t. Very few of them even make a relevant impact in the NHL. However, 2014-2015 Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn was selected just four picks after Leffler. Who knows what he would have done playing under Bruce Boudreau or this year under Barry Trotz.
SIXTH ROUND: In the sixth round, the Capitals drafted goaltender Dan Dunn. He never played in the NHL. Two players currently in their respective conference finals were drafted after Dunn in the sixth round. Forward Patrick Maroon has been a surprising producer on the first line for the Ducks. Forward Carl Hagelin has been decent for the Rangers in the playoffs with five points in 18 games. They also selected center Justin Taylor. Defenseman Carl Gunnarson was selected 14 picks after Taylor. Gunnarson isn’t that good, but at least the Caps could have gotten something from him.
SEVENTH ROUND: The Caps had two picks in the seventh round. Their first one was Nick Larson with the 185th pick. Gunnarson was drafted nine picks later. Their second one was Andrew Glass. Sharks defenseman Justin Braun was selected two picks later.
The Washington Capitals missed out on an elite defenseman in Subban and an excellent player in Benn in 2007. They missed out on a power play weapon in Simmonds. Man, imagine if the Caps could re-draft this draft…
Next: Grading The 2008 NHL Draft