The Stars ended Vegas’ attempt to repeat despite the Golden Knights using crafty salary cap tactics to load up at another trade deadline.
One of the deals Vegas made involved the Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights acquired winger Anthony Mantha from the Caps on March 5 in a trade that saw a 2024 second-round draft selection and a 2026 fourth-round draft selection sent back to Washington.
After being ousted from the playoffs before the Conference Finals, the Golden Knights cemented their draft selections as the 19th-best pick in almost every round. The Capitals will now pick 52nd in the second round, avoiding a possible drop to as low as 65th.
Why? Well, for Rounds 2-7, the Draft Lottery results do not come into play and regular season point totals determine the order. However, some teams do move around based on how they finish in the playoffs. Here’s exactly how it’s determined via the NHL.
- Spots 1 through 16 are given to the 16 teams that missed the playoffs, in reverse standings order. The team with the least standings points gets the best pick.
- The teams that made the playoffs but did not win their division in the regular season or play in the Conference Finals. This is picks 17-24 up to pick 28.
- The teams that won their divisions in the regular season but did not play in the Conference Finals. This is potentially picks 25-28 depending on playoff results.
- The teams that lose in the Conference Finals. These are always picks 29 and 30.
- The team that loses in the Stanley Cup Final. This is always pick 31.
- The team that wins the Stanley Cup Final. This is always pick 32.
Vegas did not win the Pacific Division. They finished as the second wild card team in the Western Conference.
Vegas’ second-round pick moved one spot down to 52nd due to the Philadelphia Flyers being gifted a compensatory second-round selection by the league for never signing 2018 first-round draft pick Jay O’Brien to an entry-level contract.
The Capitals traded their own 2024 second-round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for Connor Brown before the 2022-23 campaign.
Washington has one more 2024 draft selection waiting for its exact spot to be determined as they own the Boston Bruins’ third-round pick. The same conditions apply to the Bruins’ pick if the Florida Panthers can take them out in the second round.
