Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Capitals Mailbag: The Draft
Our next question comes from John from Twitter.
@Stars_AndSticks Why do you think that the Caps have recently stopped drafting forwards in the 2rd? (Besides Sanford) #capsmailbag
— Lysander (@johnherold98) August 10, 2015
Good question John. It’s a bit puzzling to me too. However, it’s worth noting that drafting for need in the draft usually doesn’t end well. You go after the best guy available, regardless of what position he happens to play. If the Washington Capitals got the guy who they thought was the best player on the board, that’s really all that matters.
Vitek Vanecek was one of the better goalie prospects in the 2014 NHL Draft. I was a little skeptical of him at first, but he had a really strong season in 2014-2015, so I’m feeling far more confident about him in the future. This summer has proven that teams will do anything to get quality young goaltenders. At worst, Vanecek could help the Washington Capitals get someone who could help put them over the top.
Jonas Siegenthaler was a guy who I think the Caps couldn’t pass up on. He was a borderline first round talent available in the second round. I know the Caps were very high on him, so I’m not at all surprised that they traded up to get him. He should be a strong second or third pairing defenseman.
In short, I don’t really know why the Capitals haven’t been drafting forwards in the second round. My guess is that the players that they liked the most in the past two drafts happened to not be forwards.
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