Washington will make the eighth overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The Washington Capitals went into the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday that they'd be landing a top prospect in the top 10, and the only question remaining was when they'd be up at the draft stage. Now they have an answer, as they secured the eighth overall pick.
The Capitals had a 54.4 percent chance at the 8th overall pick, the highest odds of any of the possible scenarios. There was a six percent chance that they would win the lottery and get Connor Bedard come June, and a 6.2 percent chance that they would cash in on the second overall selection, which is likely to be Adam Fantilli.
Still, general manager Brian MacLellan will have a lot of strong options to choose from, including the likes of Andrew Cristall, Edward Sale and more. MacLellan said before the summer that the team wants to get younger and faster, and this year's prospect pool provides just that, along with players that'd be NHL-ready sooner rather than later.
It marks Washington's highest draft since 2012 when the team held the 11th overall pick and selected Filip Forsberg. Forsberg was traded in April 2013 in exchange for Martin Erat and Michael Latta.
This is also the first time that Washington will draft in the top-10 since 2007, when the club selected defenseman Karl Alzner fifth overall. Other notable top-10 picks for the Capitals since 2000 include Alex Ovechkin (1st overall, 2004) and Nicklas Backstrom (4th overall, 2006).
General manager Brian MacLellan will have a lot of strong options to choose from.
The 2023 NHL Draft takes place on June 28-29 in Nashville.