Washington Capitals: Re-Drafting The 2004 NHL Draft
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Over the next several weeks, we will be taking a look back at past Washington Capitals drafts and grading them. We will use hindsight within reason. For example, just because player A was drafted in the seventh round and is an NHL All-Star, that doesn’t mean we’ll say that the Washington Capitals should have drafted player A over player B in the first round. Today, let’s take a look at what was one of George McPhee‘s best drafts as the Washington Capitals general manager: the 2004 NHL Draft.
The Washington Capitals had a whopping 13 draft picks in the 2004 NHL Draft. Of their 13 draft picks in 2004, seven of them have played in the NHL. They had three first round picks, two second rounders, two third rounders, two fifth rounders, a sixth rounder, a seventh rounder, an eighth rounder, and a ninth rounder.
Each of those picks will be graded on several factors. First of all, what have they done in their career? Secondly, could the Washington Capitals have reasonably chosen a better player? We’ll look at the next five picks for each first, next ten for each second round pick and the next 15 for each of the subsequent rounds. Thirdly, what value did they bring the Washington Capitals, if any? Fourthly, what were the realistic expectations of the pick? It’s not worth getting upset over a seventh round pick, but it would be worth getting upset over a first round pick.
Next: The First Rounders
Washington Capitals 2004 First Round Picks
The Washington Capitals had three first rounders in the 2004 NHL Draft, the first official draft of Ted Leonsis’s mandated rebuild. The Washington Capitals had a great chance to start their rebuild off the right way. The Caps were destined to be changed by this draft, and they were. It all started when the Caps won the 2004 NHL draft lottery and earned the rights to the first overall pick.
More from Capitals News
- Breaking down the Rookie Camp roster
- Hear what Magic Johnson said about Alex Ovechkin
- Capitals announce Rookie Camp schedule
- Breaking down the 2023-24 Capitals national TV schedule
- Capitals Alumni Weekend is coming back
With the first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals selected Alex Ovechkin. I don’t think there is a Caps fan who thinks that this wasn’t the right pick. However, just to be a contrarian, one could say maybe the Caps should have drafted Evgeni Malkin. However, if you think that, you’re wrong. Ovechkin has been nothing short of a blessing for the Washington Capitals. He was clearly the right pick.
The Capitals also had the 27th overall pick and the 29th overall pick. With those two picks, they drafted two defensemen. With the 27th pick, they drafted Jeff Schultz. With the 29th pick, they drafted Mike Green. Obviously, Green worked out extremely well for the Washington Capitals, giving them their best offensive force on their blue line since the days of Sergei Gonchar. Jeff Schultz was a very competent NHL defenseman under Bruce Boudreau. However, he quickly fell out of favor and is now in the AHL. The Capitals might have gotten better value out of center David Bolland, who was drafted with the 32nd overall pick. That said, Schultz was a fine pick.
Next: The Second Round
Washington Capitals 2004 Second Round
The Washington Capitals had two second round picks in 2004. They had the 33rd overall pick and the 62nd overall pick. However, neither of their second round picks did much in the NHL.
With the 33rd overall pick, the Caps selected forward Chris Bourque. He has only played in 51 NHL games and played in just 13 with the Caps. They would have gotten better value had they drafted Bryan Bickell, who was drafted with the 41st overall pick, or Blake Comeau, who was drafted with the 47th overall pick. Granted, neither of those two have done that much in the NHL, but at least they would have contributed more than Bourque.
With the 62nd overall pick, the Caps selected forward Mikhail Yunkov. However, Yunkov never came over to North America, as he decided to stay in Russia and the KHL. He hasn’t really done much in the KHL anyway, so it’s not like the Caps lost anything by him staying over there. They did, however, lose out on drafting David Krejci, who was drafted just one pick after Yunkov.
Next: The Third Rounders
Washington Capitals 2004 Third Round
The Capitals had two third round picks. One of them panned out, the other one didn’t. They had the 66th overall pick and the 88th overall pick.
With the 66th overall pick, the Caps selected defenseman Sami Lepisto. He would play just 14 games for the Caps before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for a fifth round pick in the 2010 draft (Caleb Hebert). He would play in 176 career NHL games before going over to the KHL. Looking back, the Caps should have drafted a different defenseman who was drafted just five picks after Lepisto: Andrej Sekera.
With the 88th overall pick, the Caps selected another defenseman in Clayton Barthel. Barthel would never play a game in the Washington Capitals organization. The Caps could have drafted Alexander Edler (91st pick), a mighty fine defenseman, or maybe even forward Johan Franzen (97th pick). Either one of those two players would have definitely helped the Capitals.
Next: The Fifth Round
Washington Capitals 2004 Fifth Round
The Capitals had two fifth round picks in the 2004 NHL Draft. They had the 132nd overall pick and the 138th overall pick. Neither of the two players that they selected made it to the NHL.
With the 132nd overall pick, the Caps selected defenseman Oscar Hedman. He is a Swedish defenseman who never came over to North America. The Capitals would have gotten very good value had they drafted forward Kris Versteeg, who was drafted by the Bruins with the 134th overall pick.
With the 138th overall pick, the Caps selected forward Pasi Salonen. He is a Finnish forward who never came over to North America. The Washington Capitals would have been much better off had they drafted a familiar face: Mikahil Grabovski. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 150th overall pick.
Next: Rounds 6-9
Washington Capitals 2004 6th-9th Rounds
The Washington Capitals had one sixth round pick in the 2004 NHL draft. It was the 166th overall pick. With that pick, they selected right wing Peter Guggisberg from Switzerland. He never came over to North America. The Capitals should have drafted defenseman Adam Pardy, who was drafted with the 173rd overall pick. They could have also gone with Mike Santorelli (178th pick) or Roman Polak (180th pick).
In the seventh round, with the 197th overall pick, the Caps selected forward Andrew Gordon. He has played in 55 NHL games. A better pick for them would have been, ironically, Troy Brouwer, who was drafted with the 214th overall pick. In the eighth round, they drafted a goaltender with the 230th overall pick. They drafted Justin Mrazek. He never played a single game in the Washington Capitals organization. Very few players drafted in the eighth round that year have done anything in the NHL. However, if they were looking for a goalie, they could have drafted Pekka Rinne, who was the 258th overall pick. Had they drafted Rinne, they likely would have had a much better chance at winning a Stanley Cup in 2008-2009 or 2010-2011. Then again, who knows if Rinne would have been the same without Mitch Korn?
In the ninth round, the Caps barely missed out on Mark Streit, who was drafted one pick before they picked. They drafted forward Travis Morin with the 263rd overall pick, who has played in 13 NHL games for the Dallas Stars. They should have drafted forward Daniel Winnick, who was drafted just two picks later.
Overall, the Washington Capitals did pretty well in this draft. What matters is that they mostly nailed their three first round picks. They got two franchise cornerstones in the first round. That’s very difficult to do. However, it could have been just a little bit better. A pretty strong draft by McPhee.
Next: Re-Drafting The 2005 NHL Draft