WASHINGTON, DC – The Washington Capitals season ended in overtime of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup in Madison Square Garden at the hands of the New York Rangers. While the hockey world saw yet another Capital collapse, failing to close out the series after a 3-1 lead, optimists saw a good hockey team push the President’s Trophy-winners to the brink.
Perhaps most exciting for Washington were the playoff contributions of two promising 
young forwards. Austrian-born Andre Burakovsky showed flashes of greatness scoring two goals in Game 4 against the Rangers and rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had a great playoffs, showed that his move from winger to center will prove to be a benefit to the team. Drafting in the mid-to-late first round, the Capitals hope to prove their front office is up to the task of retooling a good veteran squad. Any general manager can draft Alex Ovechkin (or Connor McDavid for that matter) with the number one overall pick, but only the better GM’s know how to find the necessary talent later in the draft. This is the challenge for second year GM Brian MacLellan and the rest of the Washington front office.
While MacLellan is new to the GM’s chair, he served under former GM George McPhee for seven seasons as Assistant GM. He will continue the Capitals penchant for drafting foreign prospects in the early rounds of the draft. In recent years the Capitals have drafted such names as Semeyon Varlamov, Burakovsky, Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson at the 20TH slot or later. When your best players are Russian (Ovechkin) and Swedish (center Nicklas Backstrom), it makes sense to look to those two countries for future talent. The men wearing the “C” and the “A” for the Capitals have made the transition to the NHL much easier for their respective countrymen, with the young Russians even staying at Ovechkin’s house. With the 22nd pick in this year’s NHL entry draft, the Capitals will continue this trend and select Joel Eriksson Ek.
The young Swedish center has moved up the draft boards lately, especially after a strong showing at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championships, where he tallied five goals and six points in five games. At 6’2” 185 pounds, Eriksson Ek has the type of frame that can hold the size necessary to compete with some of the bigger two-way centers in today’s NHL. With a strong left hand shot and an ability to stay on the puck, even while being bodied, Eriksson Ek is not far from being NHL ready. Looking at the Washington NHL roster, a slot could be ready for him as early as the 2016-17 season.
Washington’s biggest need at the NHL level, like many other teams, has been a second line center. With the emergence of Kuznetsov during the 2015 playoffs, this problem seems to have been solved. The team must keep in mind, however, that the move from the wing to center has its bumps. The transition from the middle to the outside is an easier one for a young player to make. Organizationally, this means that a higher value should be placed on centermen than wingers.
Also, with the right wing position on the Caps first line seemingly open, as free agent Joel Ward’s strong playoff run may have priced him out of Washington’s price range, the team must keep its options open. With a number of players rotating into that slot during the playoffs, Head Coach Barry Trotz has shown a willingness to experiment, if only in small doses. Having Eriksson Ek, with his strong faceoff skills, available to play center on the second line would free Kuznetsov to play alongside Ovechkin and Backstrom on the first line. Even if they only played together on advantageous offensive-zone draws, the line immediately would become one of the most potent in the NHL. Having Eriksson Ek on the second line would ensure the Capitals attack would not be top-heavy, which has been a problem for the team in the past.
The Capitals prospect pool is varied. The defensemen may be the most NHL ready, with Connor Carrick and Cameron Schilling having already seen the ice for the Capitals. Goaltender Phoenix Copley, who practiced with the big club and backed up workhorse starter Braden Holtby a bit this season, and Philipp Grubauer, who just signed a new two-way deal, seem to have the goaltending pipeline solidly filled.
The forward corps probably has the highest ceiling of the position groups. Wingers Stanislav Galiev and Jakub Vrana may see time with the Capitals this season, and center Liam O’Brien has already seen the ice in Washington firsthand. With no clear holes, the Capitals can afford to go with the best available talent, and Eriksson Ek provides such talent.
The NHL club looks to be a fit for the youngster as well, with Mike Green most likely to leave in free agency. While this would seem to call for the team to draft a blueliner to replace him, Trotz was already giving power play minutes to Team USA defenseman John Carlson in preparation for Green’s departure. Ward may yet return, but if he does so, the term certainly will not exceed two or three years, providing a perfect window for Eriksson Ek to get a couple of years of seasoning with the Hershey Bears before joining the parent club.
For the Capitals, the days of easily winning a bad Southeastern Division are long gone. The Metropolitan Division has proven to be a tougher test, and will continue to do so year in and year out. Gone are the days of bottoming out and drafting atop the lottery. Another Alex Ovechkin will not be falling to where the Capitals are drafting from these days. Taking the step from good playoff team to Stanley Cup contender may be one of the toughest in all of sports. Doing so without first bottoming out may be near impossible. Hiring Barry Trotz as Head Coach was the first move toward that goal. Drafting Eriksson Ek should prove to be the next.
“With the 22nd pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals select, from Sweden, Joel Eriksson Ek.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.