Photos: @Anthem_Singer

Another day, another draft. This week has been nuts. But have no fear, this time the Capitals will be adding players to the organization. Here are the basics for this weekends 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

DATES/TIMES
Round 1: Round 1 begins Friday (today). Start time is 7:00 PM ET.
Rounds 2-7: Rounds 2 thru 7 take place on Saturday (6/24) beginning at 10:00 AM ET.

LOCATION
The 2017 NHL Draft will be held at the Blackhawks’ United Center in Chicago. It’s the first time in the draft’s 53-year history that the event will be held in Chicago.

TELEVISION
NBC Sports Network will broadcast the 2017 NHL Draft. It can also be live-streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.

CAPITALS
The Capitals will sit idle for the first three rounds of the 2017 NHL draft, as Washington finishes “paying the piper” for Kevin Shattenkirk, Lars Eller, and Mike Weber. Here’s a quick recap of how the first three picks were used.

• The Capitals’ first-round pick goes to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a trade that sent Kevin Shattenkirk and Pheonix Copley to Washington in exchange for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, a conditional seventh-round pick in 2017 or 2018, a conditional second-round pick in 2019, and this pick.
• The Capitals’ second-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade that sent Lars Eller to Washington in exchange for a second-round pick in 2018 and this pick.
• The Capitals’ third-round pick will go to the Buffalo Sabres as the result of a trade that sent Mike Weber to Washington in exchange for this pick.

Barring a trade, the Capitals’ first pick will come in the 4th round, 120th overall. This ties a record for the longest wait to make a first pick in a draft (Detroit in 1999 and Pittsburgh in 2008)

NEEDS
Capitals’ General Manager Brian MacLellan and Assistant General Manager Ross Mahoney have been clear all along. Their strategy is to draft the best available player at the time of selection, regardless of position or current needs. Although immediate needs are real, the Capitals are deep at defense and goalie, and this will become more apparent in a year’s time. Ideally, the Capitals will address a shallow depth of centers and right wingers.

THE SCENE