Seeing Lapierre awarded with AHL playoffs MVP, it popped my mind that didnt we move up for Lappy in the '20 draft. Checked it and indeed we did. Moving up two spots from 24 --> 22 costed us a third then.
Flames drafted Connor Zary and Boltmann with those picks. I guess its too early to judge it yet, and Zary is a good one too, but right now i'd say that was pretty cool move to make. Lets not forget Lapierre is our own Tavares, bajama-boy who grew up as a Caps fan, so seeing him succeed here would be really fun.
Decided to look some other times we moved up or down, and the results are.. sometimes it work and sometimes not. How suprising.
Here are randomly some (not all by any means);
2019; Devils gets 4th and 5th (drafted nothing worth mentioning), while Caps get a third round pick #91. Capitals select Aliaksei Protas. WIN.
2019; Sharks gets 2x 7th (drafted nothing worth mentioning), Capitals gets 5th. Capitals select Martin Hugo Has. Zero result for both.
2016; Capitals gets 1st (#28)+3rd, St.Louis moves up 2 spots for #26. Capitals select Lucas Johansen and G Pilon. Blues select Tage Thompson. OUCH!! *
2014; Buffalo gets 2nd (#44) and 3rd (nothing wort mentioning here), Capitals get #39. Capitals select Vitek Vanecek. WIN.
2013; Jets gets 3rd+4th+5th (nothing), Capitals get 2nd (#61). Capitals draft Zach Sanford. Miss. **
Just for fun, what if in 2014...
- Capitals once had their hands 4th round pick #118 in 2014, which they got for trading Halak to Islanders. They decided to use that 4th round pick, with another 4th round pick to move up for a 3rd round. Capitals selected Nathan Walker. The #118 ended up being Igor Shesterkin...
- I listed Caps moving up for Vanecek as a win above. But what if Caps couldnt trade up, and another team chose Vanecek before.. Maybe Capitals targets Sorokin?
And I do remember vividly I watched this draft live and was high on Brayden Point and told my friend we should pick him with our 2nd. Point ended up going down to third round, on the range where we would still have had our pick if we didnt move up for Vanecek.
So is there a parallel reality where we end up with Shesterkin, Sorokin and Point from this draft if we dont move Vanecek and Walker?!?!?! Well, I know its fantasy world, but obviously the answer is hell yeah.. This was a draft I was highly following and thats why it has stuck with me. For Caps 1st round I was hoping we either finally draft a Finn (Kasperi Kapanen) or go with one of McCann/Larkin/Bleackley. Vrana was big part of the cup team in 2018 so I could say im glad they didnt "listen" to me.
* Admitted that Thompson did not break out with the team who selected him, so it could have gone that way even if we ended up with Thompson anyways.
** Looking at 2013 draft, we missed a lot of opportunities with moving up for Sanford. In 3-4-5 round these were among the selected names ; Guentzel, Pesce, Buschnevich, Verhaeghe, Duclair, Janmark, Nick Paul, Copp, Ryan Graves, Clifton, Soucy... With those three picks you have atleast a decent chance on hitting some of these late rounders. It was deeeeeeep draft.
Flames drafted Connor Zary and Boltmann with those picks. I guess its too early to judge it yet, and Zary is a good one too, but right now i'd say that was pretty cool move to make. Lets not forget Lapierre is our own Tavares, bajama-boy who grew up as a Caps fan, so seeing him succeed here would be really fun.
Decided to look some other times we moved up or down, and the results are.. sometimes it work and sometimes not. How suprising.
Here are randomly some (not all by any means);
2019; Devils gets 4th and 5th (drafted nothing worth mentioning), while Caps get a third round pick #91. Capitals select Aliaksei Protas. WIN.
2019; Sharks gets 2x 7th (drafted nothing worth mentioning), Capitals gets 5th. Capitals select Martin Hugo Has. Zero result for both.
2016; Capitals gets 1st (#28)+3rd, St.Louis moves up 2 spots for #26. Capitals select Lucas Johansen and G Pilon. Blues select Tage Thompson. OUCH!! *
2014; Buffalo gets 2nd (#44) and 3rd (nothing wort mentioning here), Capitals get #39. Capitals select Vitek Vanecek. WIN.
2013; Jets gets 3rd+4th+5th (nothing), Capitals get 2nd (#61). Capitals draft Zach Sanford. Miss. **
Just for fun, what if in 2014...
- Capitals once had their hands 4th round pick #118 in 2014, which they got for trading Halak to Islanders. They decided to use that 4th round pick, with another 4th round pick to move up for a 3rd round. Capitals selected Nathan Walker. The #118 ended up being Igor Shesterkin...
- I listed Caps moving up for Vanecek as a win above. But what if Caps couldnt trade up, and another team chose Vanecek before.. Maybe Capitals targets Sorokin?
And I do remember vividly I watched this draft live and was high on Brayden Point and told my friend we should pick him with our 2nd. Point ended up going down to third round, on the range where we would still have had our pick if we didnt move up for Vanecek.
So is there a parallel reality where we end up with Shesterkin, Sorokin and Point from this draft if we dont move Vanecek and Walker?!?!?! Well, I know its fantasy world, but obviously the answer is hell yeah.. This was a draft I was highly following and thats why it has stuck with me. For Caps 1st round I was hoping we either finally draft a Finn (Kasperi Kapanen) or go with one of McCann/Larkin/Bleackley. Vrana was big part of the cup team in 2018 so I could say im glad they didnt "listen" to me.
* Admitted that Thompson did not break out with the team who selected him, so it could have gone that way even if we ended up with Thompson anyways.
** Looking at 2013 draft, we missed a lot of opportunities with moving up for Sanford. In 3-4-5 round these were among the selected names ; Guentzel, Pesce, Buschnevich, Verhaeghe, Duclair, Janmark, Nick Paul, Copp, Ryan Graves, Clifton, Soucy... With those three picks you have atleast a decent chance on hitting some of these late rounders. It was deeeeeeep draft.
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