2. Evgeny Kuznetsov - 2010 (1st Round, 26th overall)
Evgeny Kuznetsov fell to the Caps at 26 in the 2010 NHL draft due to some questions about his desire to play in North America. Kuzy was funny and charming and had that beaming smile. On the ice he was a wizard, with behind the back passes, skilled hands, and his signature "Pterodactyl" goal celebration. His finest season came in 2018, when during the regular season, he scored 83 points in 79 games. He added a league leading 32 points in 24 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 32 points in 24 games. Kuzy 's Game 6 overtime goal to finally beat Pittsburgh in round two stands as one of the greatest moments in franchise history. That goal sent the Caps into the third round for the first time in the Ovechkin era which ended with Washington winning its first Stanley Cup.
Kuzy's production waned, his relationship with the front office soured. He was traded to Carolina in 2024. He's currently a free agent and has 173 goals and 402 assists for 575 career points in 743 games played.
His time in Washington may be over, but we will always have "The Pterodactyl."
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