They say hindsight is 20/20. This rings true, especially when it comes to the NHL Draft. Like many teams, the Washington Capitals have made some good picks and bad ones over the years. This isn’t like the NFL Draft, where teams draft players who are generally ready to contribute. In the NHL, teams have to draft players who usually aren’t. Usually, only the top three players or so contribute immediately, if that.
With hindsight in mind, let’s take a look back at the 2012 NHL Draft. They say it takes five years to fairly judge a draft. This line of thinking is generally correct because players in the 2012 draft are now either 23 years old or very close to it.