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Washington Capitals may sacrifice first-round pick for blockbuster trade
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The Washington Capitals season is unfortunately done, and fans are looking ahead to the offseason to see what general manger Chris Patrick has up his sleeve. Recently, the Caps' GM made himself available to the media, providing fans some insight as to what lies ahead.
The Washington Capitals were just dealt a crushing second-round defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, and it's clear the Caps' roster needs some fine-tuning.
One aspect in particular stood out in the series: speed.
The Caps' struggled to keep up with the Hurricanes high-powered offence and failed to generate scoring opportunities.
That said, the Caps' hold a first round-round NHL pick this year, and GM Chris Patrick could use that as an option to bring in some much needed speed to the roster.
Washington Capitals could trade first-round pick
According to Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, Washington will select 27th overall after being eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and there could be more flexibility when it comes to what to do with that selection.
"I think you have to be open to all options," general manager Chris Patrick said.
Washington has put itself in a good position over the last handful of seasons with its prospects, bringing on Andrew Cristall, Terik Parascak, Ilya Protas, Cole Hutson and a number of other names that have been making noise and proving to be ready to make the jump sooner rather than later.
"Given the prospects we have, does it make it a little more palatable? Potentially," Patrick said.
"I think you also get a sense for what might be there when you're picking, and that can also factor into it as well," Patrick said. "What might be there maybe is something that's kind of duplicative with what you already have. So, yeah, we'll try to be creative with what we can do."
It should be interesting to see what happens this season at the NHL Entry Level Draft.
More details to follow.
| POLL | ||
MAI 21 | 73 ANSWERS Washington Capitals may sacrifice first-round pick for blockbuster trade Do you think the Washington Capitals should trade their first round pick at the NHL draft? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 58.9 % |
| No | 30 | 41.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
