Washington Capitals Rumors: Team Trying To Move Up From 8th Overall

After a disappointing season where injuries plagued the Washington Capitals, they came away with the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. That doesn't seem good enough for them as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Capitals are trying to move up from that pick. This suggests that they have their eye on a certain player that they think will go before they are up to pick. Who could that be?

The first and most obvious player they could have their sights set on drafting is Matvei Michkov because of the Russian connection to Alex Ovechkin. Even though it seems like Michkov is signed to play in the KHL for a few more years, who knows if he has something in place to be able to come to North America early if the right team selects him. That certain team could be Washington as Ovechkin is a role model for many young Russian players. Nobody really knows when Michkov is going to be drafted, but he has the talent to be as high as second overall.

The Capitals drafted a Russian-born left winger last year, Ivan Miroshnichenko and don't have a lot of options for their future down the middle, so they could be interested in drafting a centerman. There should be five centermen that go in the first round including Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, Will Smith, and Dalibor Dvorsky. While Bedard is off the table for anyone but the Chicago Blackhawks, it's somewhat of a tossup where Fantilli, Carlsson, and Smith will go between 2-5 after that. Washington could be looking to draft a potential franchise center among those three or ensure that they get Dvorsky at number 6 or 7. It's also not going to come cheap to even move up a couple spots this season as the Capitals should prepare to also give up at least a second or third round pick to do so.