Washington Capitals: Top 3 team needs ahead of 2020 NHL Draft

#3 Defense

The Caps will look to strengthen their defense in their prospect pool as well as address the current defense on their varsity roster. A few names come to mind that they could draft. One player who they could take in the first round is William Wallinder.

Wallinder is a strong, long reaching defenseman with size and skating ability. He’s good enough to contribute 40-50 points per season in the NHL when he reaches his prime and has a good enough shot to man the second power play unit.

Another option they could draft is Justin Barron. He’s a polarizing player that has a good skating ability and has a two way game. He delivers the physicality the Caps are looking for in a defenseman.

If the Caps were to go with a defenseman in the first round, they would join Alex Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary as the top defensive prospects in the system.

Per the team draft guide, 20 of Washington’s first round picks in team history have been defensemen, including in two of the last four drafts. Five of the last seven defensemen the Capitals have drafted in their first two rounds have combined to play in 1,453 games for Washington.