SUNRISE, Fla. – It was a head-scratching move in the eyes of many, because the Washington Capitals had already stockpiled goaltenders throughout their organizational depth chart, and because first-round picks so rarely get devoted to the position. But if nothing else, their 22nd overall selection of Russian netminder Ilya Samsonov demonstrated a steadfast dedication to their best-player-available strategy, regardless of positional need. They had their rankings and stuck to them.
[Samsonov says he’s honored but ‘very surprised’ to be drafted by Caps]
“When you have players on your list that you really like, you think you have a good chance to pick, you’re crossing out some other names, there’s no need to panic and start to worry about moving up,” assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said.