Top draft priority is addressing goaltending issues on Capitals
With the departure of Darcy Kuemper and the addiion of PLD, do the Caps go goalie in this year's draft?
The Washington Capitals embark on the NHL Draft which comes in two days. This Friday at The Sphere in Las Vegas it'll sure be a spectacle to help grow the game and the sport. Charlie Lindgren is now the number one goalie in town which is a good thing.
Seeing Lindgren blossom into the number one goalie from March 7th on was a blessing in the Caps quest back to the playoffs. Now the focus is on the draft after the Hershey Bears success in winning the Calder Cup where Hunter Shepard played like the old Braden Holtby from those back to back Bears Calder Cup teams of the past.
We say Lindgren is the number one goalie because of the trade that shocked the hockey world that occurred in the middle of the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup Final. He's the number one goalie for now. Though the Caps may draft a goalie and it could be an interesting 24 hours coming up.
Friedman on 32TP: “I think this one is going to be a bananas week, I think there is going to be things that happen here that we absolutely do not see coming”
— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 26, 2024
In the middle of the madness fans in the Hershey area can check out the Calder Cup itself as doors to GIANT Center open at 5 p.m. after the Bears took care of the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Monday night. Fans are encouraged to check out HersheyBears.com for more details.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS 📆
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 25, 2024
Join us at GIANT Center tomorrow night for our Championship Celebration! Doors will open at 5pm. More details to come! pic.twitter.com/lOU7OSxv1u
And we'll let this video do the roaring:
When some moments don't need words, a ROAR will always suffice. pic.twitter.com/xrQnIrlMYg
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 26, 2024
"After witnessing Charlie Lindgren's performance last season, we believe he deserves a chance to play a more significant role within our team."
The Caps also recently bought Cap Friendly which was a controversial but necessary move. Sammi Silber of The Hockey News writes that the Caps wouldn't even be allowed to keep the site up for public use, even if they wanted to.
Tarik El-Bashir and Brian McNally of Monumental Sports Network added about Dubois that while the Caps are high on Hershey goalies Shepard and Clay Stevenson, it wouldn't be a surprise if MacLellan makes a move at goalie through the draft or a trade. It's possible they'll get an opportunity in the draft as BMac always takes the best available. But a trade could happen as well. Caps could go the route of an inexpensive veteran.
Since the Ilya Samsonov fiasco, the Caps have been unsuccessful in securing that consistent goaltender that would complment Lindgren. Hate to sound cliche but one goalie alone won't win games. But at the same time, the Caps need depth in case PLD doesn't work out.
Michael Hage, a cener out of Chicago seems to be a popular choice. That's who Adam Kimelman of NHL.com had in his mock draft. He's listed at six foot one and 188 pounds. The 18 year old was fourth in the USHL with 75 points in 54 games including 27 points in his final 14 wih 10 goals and 17 assists.
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