NHL Draft week always kicks off the start of a truly fun time to be a hockey fan. The draft signifies the start of the offseason, and with it the draft picks, the trades and the free agent signings that can define teams for years to come.

This year, the Capitals added five picks into the organization, all of whom could see time in Hershey at some point in their careers. Washington also made two trades that could have significant effects on how the Bears roster shakes out next season.

Caps Trade for Sourdif

The Caps would make their first splash of the offseason the day before the draft. Washington sent a 2026 2nd and a 2027 6th to Florida to the rights for RFA winger Justin Sourdif.

Washington brass immediately got pushback online for this trade, as the price of next years second plus another (admittedly low round) pick for a player who has only 4 games of NHL experience raised a lot of eyebrows.

Sourdif of course will be known to Bears nation, as he was a crucial part of Charlotte’s top six the last two seasons and made himself known throughout the series with his physical play, even if he only recorded an assist in those three games.

This trade likely means that a winger, who maybe would’ve gotten a look in DC next year, will likely stick in Hershey. Caps brass made it known in their post draft press conference that they expect Sourdif to be an NHLer full time next year, which was clear by not only the price paid for him in the trade, but also the two-year, one-way contract worth $825,000 a year they signed Sourdif to the next day.

So with Sourdif likely to stick in Washington, that will make it harder for both Bogdan Trineyev, who was expected to make a push for the open wing spot on Washington’s fourth line at training camp this year and I think Andrew Cristall, the 20 year old rookie who’s torn up the WHL the last two seasons, who has a narrow pathway to making the Capitals.

I also feel it’s important to note that Caps brass pointed out that “they would find it difficult to not have Ivan Miroshnichenko up full time” next season. This comes after Miro put together a 39 point season in 50 games for the Bears, scoring 20 goals on the year, a big improvement from his rookie campaign in Hershey that saw him only contribute 25 points in 47 games with only 9 goals.

The Draft Picks

• Lynden Lakovic, LW, Moose Jaw, 27th Overall: With their first round pick, Washington took winger Lynden Lakovic out of Moose Jaw from the WHL. The fact that Lakovic was at 27 was a surprise to many- most final mock drafts had Lakovic going in the 15-18 range, and most scout rankings also had the talented winger around those spots. However, likely thanks to some other prospects falling (including talented Swedish winger Victor Eklund, who the Islanders took at 16, likely where they could have taken Lakovic if Eklund hadn’t fallen there) and some other teams taking need, the talented 6’4 Lakovic is now a Capital. Under potential new CBA rules as well, he could be a Bear as early as next year, making him a key prospect to watch for Bears nation.
• Milton Gastrin, C, Modo, 37th Overall: Thanks to the 2023 trade that sent Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to Boston, Washington had the Bruins 2nd rounder this year. With the Bruins collapse this season, this ended up being a pretty valuable second, where the Capitals again benefited from a slight fall from a player. Milton Gastrin was considered the third best European skater by most outlets and was expected to be drafted in the 20s in the first round. However, Gastrin fell and the Caps took the best player available again. Gastrin fits a bigger prospect need for the Caps, as the center position is one of the thinner ones in the prospect pool at the moment. Gastrin is a decently sized, two-way center, who tracks as a future middle six player. While the Caps have brought in youngsters from the European leagues right after the draft before, Gastrin is expected to spend next year in Sweden, where after another year there the Caps will likely try and bring him to America (and likely Hershey)
• Maxim Schafer, W, Eisbaren Berlin, 96th Overall: Washington made multiple moves in the third round, one of which was trading back from pick 93 to pick 96 (we’ll get to the second trade late) and selected German winger Maxim Schafer. Schafer is a big guy, standing at 6’4 and projects as maybe the most interesting project player the Caps drafted this year. Schafer only put up 3 points in 31 games this year, but that is while playing much of the season as a 17 year old in Germany’s top division, which would be hard for most 17 year old hockey players. Schafer made Germany’s World Juniors team this past year and there he put up three points in five games, with two goals and a assist. Schafer at least projects as a guy who Bears nation should see within the next two seasons, but I expect the Caps to let him marinate in his home country to get him consistent game time.
• Jackson Crowder, C, Chicago Steel, 155th Overall: Crowder is the first and only American selected by the Capitals this draft. Crowder, a 6’2″ center, split time between the Sioux City Musketeers and the Chicago Steel of the USHL this season, putting up 24 points in 56 games. That’s not a super impressive total, but it should be noted he did significantly better after getting traded to the Steel, putting up 14 points in 25 games there. Crowder is an Ohio State commit, so it will be a long time, if at all, until Hershey sees any sight of Crowder. He’ll get the chance to develop in the NCAA for a considerable time before Washington likely considers signing him.
• Aron Dahlqvist, D, Brynas IF, 180th Overall: With their final pick in the draft, Washington took a swing on another Swede, this time in Aron Dahlqvist. Dahlqvist, who split time this year between Brynas’s main team and their U20 outlet, is again another big kid. Standing at 6’4″, Dahlqvist is exactly the type of player you want to see a team take in the 6th round- a projectable one. While the 6th round and 7th round see the most busts and it is entirely possible that Dahqvist never sees America with his draft position, Washington does have prior history with bringing over and developing a late round, Swedish defenseman. Christian Djoos was a Capitals 7th rounder who got time to develop in Hershey and was eventually a key part on the third pairing for two and a half seasons with Washington and a part of the 2018 Stanley Cup team. Djoos would end up playing over 150 NHL games, which would be pretty good to squeak out of a draftee like Dahlqvist considering the spot they were picked in.

Caps Send Priskie Rights to Minnesota in Trade

Washington also made one more move on the second day of the draft. Just moments after trading down from pick 93 to pick 96, Washington acquired pending RFA defenseman Declan Chisholm and the 2025 6th rounder they would select Dahlqvist with for the Capitals 2025 4th rounder and the UFA rights for Chase Priskie.

Not only does this trade officially spell the end of Priskie’s two year tenure with the Bears, but it also likely means Alex Alexeyev’s time with the Capitals organization is done as well, which was all but confirmed by Capitals GM Chris Patrick during his post draft press conference.

Priskie was a key player on the Bears backend these last two seasons, as he put up 69 points in 128 regular season games for the Bears. Priskie also provided 14 points in 20 games during the Bears 2024 run to the Calder Cup, providing key offense and stability from a defensive core that was hit pretty hard from injury by the end of that playoff run.

I’ll remember Priskie fondly from his two years with Hershey and wish him the best of luck with the Minnesota organization going forward.