Sammi’s Daily: Capitals Get Steal, Shane Wright’s Death Stare, Draft Deals Aplenty

The first round of the 2022 NHL Draft has come and gone, and the Washington Capitals left Thursday’s festivities with a steal of a pick at No. 20.

Washington forewent any decision to trade the pick and instead selected Russian left-winger Ivan Miroshnichenko. An outstanding skater and sniper known for his wicked shot and puck-carrying ability, Miroshnichenko is a top-10 talent who dropped following his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in March. However, the Capitals remain confident that the reward outweighs any risk.

Miroshnichenko is in remission and got clearance to return to the ice in June. He will stay in North America for development camp kicking off on Monday before returning to Russia for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, in NHL headlines, Shane Wright, the seemingly surefire No. 1 pick going into Thursday, dropped all the way to No. 4. And he was far from happy as he appeared to deliver a brutal death stare to the Montreal Canadiens’ table.

Here is the latest from the draft and beyond, including more on the newest member of the organization.

Capitals Links

• Here’s more on Ivan Miroshnichenko, the Capitals’ 2022 first-round pick, what he brings to the table and what he had to say after being picked. (WHN)
• Darcy Kuemper will hit free agency as the Colorado Avalanche traded for Alexandar Georgiev and elected to have him and Pavel Francouz make up their 2022-23 tandem. What does this mean for Washington?
• Speaking of goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury re-signed for two years with the Minnesota Wild. But, if that wasn’t the case, the Capitals were reportedly among the “possibilities” for the 37-year-old netminder.

NHL Links

• After dropping to the Seattle Kraken, Wright appeared to stare down the Canadiens‘ draft table after they passed on him for Juraj Slafkovsky. (MHN)
• Meanwhile, Montreal took over the 2022 NHL Draft, trading Alexander Romanov to the New York Islanders for the No. 13 pick. Then, in a move that led to audible gasps, flipped that pick for Kirby Dach. (MHN)
• And, here are more takeaways from that wild first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, including more on Slafkovsky, trades and beyond.

Sammi’s Top Shelf Takes

• The 2022 NHL Draft continues on Friday with Rounds 2-7, as the action kicks off at 11 a.m. ET. The Capitals have the 46th, 85th, 149th, 181st and 213th selections remaining.
• I’m surprised that Jagger Firkus is still on the board. He’s one of the top players available in Round 2, though, so not sure he’d drop further than the top-3 as the action kicks off.
• Some critics think that Wright was being a bad sport and that his stare indicates an “attitude problem.” Not true at all. I think it’s good for the game to see prospects eager to prove teams wrong. I think he’ll be a great fit in Seattle, especially as he works in tandem with Matty Beniers.