One of the keys to long-term success in the NHL is successfully identifying and acquiring prospects that the majority of the league's other 29 clubs have overlooked.
It was evident with the Detroit Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008 with late-round gems such as Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen and many more leading the way.
And most recently, the Los Angeles Kings captured their second Stanley Cup in three years with a roster that included key cogs Jonathan Quick, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov, Tyler Toffoli and Jake Muzzin, who all fell outside of Round 1 in their respective draft classes.
For a team like the Washington Capitals, who have a core of expensive veterans, getting good value on first-rounders is important, but the roster will be in much better shape if some of the organization's less-heralded youngsters develop into NHL regulars.
Heading into 2013-14, the Caps have a pair of blue-chippers in Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky up front, but beyond them, there are a number of promising prospects to keep an eye on going forward.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Davenport
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