Capitals 2025 Draft Notes: 2 Trades and 4 Picks on Day 2

“He’s a guy we’ve liked for a few years,” Patrick said during his post-draft availability. “We’ve tried to get him a couple of times from Florida. We see a guy that’s competitive, smart, can play wing and center, [and] plays both special teams. I think in Florida, it was a situation where he was getting boxed out a little bit, and they had a bunch of people calling on him. For us, it felt like these are the kinds of deals we’ve had success with in the past. With a guy like Rasmus Sandin, we used a first to get him. We are getting a young guy that could be in our organization for a lot of years.”  

Patrick expects Sourdif to give Spencer Carbery options with versatility in the lineup.  “We think he can be a key contributor to our team going forward – kind of that next wave of younger players. He gives Carbs [Carbery] options. He can try him at wing [or] try him at center. He’s got a good chance here to prove he’s a good NHL player.”  

The 23-year-old forward skated in four NHL games for Florida, while most of his hockey experience has come in the American Hockey League (AHL). Sourdif totaled 96 points in 149 regular-season games for the Charlotte Checkers. Now, he will get the opportunity to compete for a job in Carbery’s lineup during Washington’s training camp. 

Adjusting the Defensive Core Heading Into the 2025 Free Agent Period

With nearly $34 million committed to seven members of the Washington defensive unit, Patrick’s defensive core already features several high-priced talents. Blueliners Jakub Chychrun ($9 million), John Carlson ($8 million), Matt Roy ($5.75 million), and Sandin ($4.6 million) collect the bulk of the money heading into the 2025-26 NHL season. 

Similar to the Sandin trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL Draft, Patrick sought an undervalued asset to manage player costs through trade, and he found a deal with the Minnesota Wild. Washington acquired Chisholm and a 2025 sixth-round pick (#180 – Aron Dahlqvist) for defenseman Chase Priskie and a fourth-round pick (#123 – Carter Klippenstein). 

Patrick was thrilled to get a cost-controlled defender like Chisholm at the draft.  “A guy who we can have a little control over the contact year because he’s an RFA,” Patrick said. “We wanted to address our defensive depth this offseason. You go into the free agent market… you don’t have control over the cost. We like where he is trending as a player. He’s another guy that’s the right age, and he’s got a real good opportunity to build on what he was doing in Minnesota.”

Chisholm skated in 95 games for Minnesota over the last two seasons. He scored five goals and amassed 20 points. The 6-foot-1 defender was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft and appeared in four games for the franchise. He was placed on waivers by Winnipeg in Jan. 2024 and was claimed by Minnesota.

Buried in his 15-minute press conference, Patrick suggested that defenseman Alexander Alexeyev is not expected to return to Washington – without explicitly stating so. “He was a guy that didn’t get to play a bunch of games this year,” Patrick flatly stated. “I think it’s important for him to get an opportunity at the NHL level, whether that’s with us or with somebody else. We are going to be as helpful as we can to him to get him the best opportunity to play in the NHL next year.” After 80 NHL games over four seasons in Washington, it doesn’t appear that the 25-year-old defender is in the Capitals’ plans on defense moving forward. 

4 More Capitals Prospects Added on Day 2

Four new faces joined the Capitals’ prospect pool on Saturday afternoon – Milton Gastrin (#37 overall), Maxim Schafer (#96), Jackson Crowder (#155), and Aron Dahlqvist (#180). 

Gastrin, 18, received the third-best grade among international skaters according to NHL Central Scouting. “I know that I am a 200-foot player who works really hard,” the forward told Mike Vogel on draft day. “Loves to compete, and a big part of my game is my skating.” 

The 6-foot-1 pivot scored 42 points in 40 games for MoDo’s junior team (Sweden Jr.). The second-round pick was the captain for various international Under-18 squads for Sweden, including the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. Gastin totaled 10 points in seven games in a silver medal-winning performance for the Swedes.

Schafer, 18, amassed three points in 31 regular-season games as a teenager in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (Germany-1) in 2024-25. The 6-foot-4 winger scored two goals in five games during the World Junior Championships for Germany. 

Crowder, 18, recorded 24 points between two teams in the United States Hockey League (USHL) before moving on to Ohio State (NCAA) for the 2025-26 campaign. Dahlqvist, 18, amassed 12 points in 37 games with Brynas IF U-20 team (Sweden-Jr.) while also skating 16 games in the Swedish-1 Hockey League in 2024-25. 

The on-ice portion of the 2025 Washington Capitals Development Camp gets underway on July 1 with an afternoon skate for the prospects. A 3-on-3 prospect tournament is scheduled for Saturday morning to wrap up activities related to the 2025 NHL Draft.