Over the years, the Caps have a history of making deals to move up early on the second day of the NHL draft. They did so again on Saturday in Vegas, but rather than packaging picks to move up, they swapped left wing Beck Malenstyn to Buffalo in exchange for the 43rd overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Malenstyn becomes a restricted free agent – with arbitration rights – on Monday.
With this deal, the Capitals now hold two picks (Nos. 43 and 52) and three picks in the third round (Nos. 82, 83 and 90). The only round of the 2024 Draft in which Washington does not hold a pick is the seventh and final round.
Malenstyn was originally Washington’s fifth-round choice (145th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. The big winger turned pro in 2018-19 with Hershey, and he made his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 2019 at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
In 2022-23, Malenstyn was a member of the AHL Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears in the first of the team’s consecutive Calder Cup title teams.
Last season, Malenstyn played his first full NHL campaign, getting into 81 games and totaling six goals and 21 points. Malenstyn was a fixture on Washington’s penalty killing outfit last season, and he finished second on the Caps in hits/60 minutes of play and fifth in blocked shots/60 minutes of play.
In parts of four seasons with Washington, Malenstyn totaled eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 105 regular season contests.
