Capitals Acquire Defenseman Declan Chisholm, Move Down To Draft Maxim Schäfer

The Capitals made some moves in the third round of the draft.

The Washington Capitals got busy in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft, trading their 93rd overall pick to the Ottawa Senators for the No. 96 pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder before making another move for Minnesota Wild defenseman Declan Chisholm.

Washington acquired Chisholm and the 180th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for defenseman Chase Priskie and the 123rd overall pick.

Chisholm, 25, is a solid depth defenseman who played in 66 games for the Minnesota Wild this past season, picking up two goals and 10 assists. He’s a left-hand shot who has a lot of upside and is a good puck mover who makes smart passes and keeps the puck out of harm’s way.

The rising blueliner fills a needed void for D.C., who needs an NHL-ready defender to be able to jump into the lineup at a moment’s notice, as the team struggled to fill Martin Fehervary’s void in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Meanwhile, with the No. 96 pick in the NHL Draft, the Capitals picked up German winger Maxim Schäfer. The 6-foot-4 forward is an aggressive forechecker who doesn’t shy away from puck battles and can get to the right areas, and he does quite a bit of damage at the net front, too.

He had 35 points in 15 games with the Eisbären Juniors Berlin U20 team and got 31 games up in the DEL, the top German league, playing against grown men. There, he had a goal and two assists with the Polar Bears.