Washington Capitals: 2015 Was A Year To Remember
2015 NHL Draft/Free Agency
The Washington Capitals headed into the 2015 NHL Entry Draft with the 22nd overall selection in the first round. Nobody seemed to really know what the gameplan would be for the team heading into this draft, but it was clear that general manager Brian MacLellan knew exactly what he wanted.
He selected Russian netminder Ilya Samsonov, a surprise at the time, with the 22nd pick, and thus solidifying the future of the Capitals in net for at least the next ten years and probably more. Samsonov has been very impressive in the KHL this season, and although he is still several years away from the NHL, looks like he has a chance to become an above average or better goalie in the future.
The Caps then selected Swiss defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler late in the second round, who looks like a player with quite a bit of upside. Washington had traded away a second and third round pick earlier in the season to acquire Curtis Glencross. Despite the lack of quantity, Washington appears to have gotten quality out of their two early round picks. Free agency was soon to follow
Almost exactly one year to the moment after inking former Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen to long-term deals to bolster the blue line of the Washington Capitals, MacLellan turned his focus to his forwards. He knew that because of who departed in free agency on July 1st that he would have to add a top-six forward to help put his team over the top. Instead, he went and got two.
He signed Justin Williams to a bargain of a contract as the first day of free agency winded down. This was an exciting moment that came as a bit of a surprise to many, who thought that Williams would sign for big money elsewhere. Instead, he signed with a team he thought could compete for a Cup, and because his son wanted him to play with Alex Ovechkin, which is the most adorable thing in the entire world.
Less than 24 hours later, MacLellan finalized a deal with the St. Louis Blues that exchanged Winter Classic hero Troy Brouwer, goaltending prospect Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 third round draft pick for current top-line winger T.J. Oshie.
It was probably one of the more exciting 24 hour spans in franchise history. Brian MacLellan had already endeared himself to Caps fans with his signings the prior offseason (Niskanen more so than Orpik), but put himself on another level with his moves during the 2015 offseason. It is worth mentioning that he also signed defenseman Taylor Chorney, who has seen significant minutes in place of the injured Orpik.
It was a very eventful offseason for the Washington Capitals, and one that certainly left them in better shape than they were in just days prior.
Next: Worth the Wait