Washington Capitals 2014 Draft Pick Grades

Overall Grade

The Washington Capitals had a pretty good draft. I love Vrana, Spinner, Elegstal, and Gersich. Walker might have been a bit of a sentimental pick, but still, Walker’s probably going to contribute this season at the NHL level, so it’s hard to argue with it. The Capitals invested a lot of time into him, and they did what they felt they had to do to keep him. I think if the Capitals didn’t draft Walker in the third round, someone else would have.

However, the Washington Capitals drafting Vanecek and trading for Pasquale really hurts. Vanecek hurts because the Washington Capitals could have drafted someone like Joshua Jacobs, Andreas Englund, Ryan MacInnis, or even Roland McKeown and it would have made a ton of sense to move up for any of those guys. Instead, they moved up for a goalie who wasn’t ranked that high.

I’m not too frustrated about the Washington Capitals not drafting any defensemen. This wasn’t a year for them. Plus, they have some nice prospects at that position. I just wish that they had drafted someone like Jacobs or McKeown in the second round. I’d have zero big problems with this draft if that happened.

Overall grade: A high C+, just short of a B-. Replace Vanecek with one of the guys that I mentioned and it’s a high B+, maybe even an A-.

Washington Capitals fans should be pretty happy with this draft.