The Washington Capitals have been fortunate in their history to have many solid defensemen play for the organization. They had Kevin Hatcher, Larry Murphy, and Rod Langway during the earlier parts of their history. One of the best blueliners they ever drafted, though, was Scott Stevens. He was selected with the fifth-overall pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft and made an immediate impact when he joined the team for the 1982-83 season. In 77 regular-season games, Stevens posted nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. He only continued to become a bigger point producer on the back end for Washington. While he was in D.C., he produced the following numbers:
- 1982-83: nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 77 games
- 1983-84: 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 78 games
- 1984-85: 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points in 80 games
- 1985-86: 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points in 73 games
- 1986-87: 10 goals and 51 assists for 61 points in 77 games
- 1987-88: 12 goals and 60 assists for 72 points in 80 games
- 1988-89: seven goals and 61 assists for 68 points in 80 games
- 1989-90: 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 56 games
While Stevens was playing very well for the Capitals, he eventually looked at the possibility of playing elsewhere and liked what the St. Louis Blues had to offer. St. Louis had a lot of promise, as some of their top players in their 1989-90 roster included winger Brett Hull, center Adam Oates, forward Rod Brind’Amour, and future star goalie Curtis Joseph. As a result, Stevens and the Blues agreed on an offer sheet. Washington did not end up matching it, and they received five first-round draft picks as compensation.
Drafting Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt
The 1992 first-round pick Washington acquired from the Blues (which was 14th overall) was used to select defenseman Sergei Gonchar. After a brief time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Portland Pirates, he made his NHL debut during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign.
Gonchar joined a Capitals locker room that had talents such as Peter Bondra, Michal Pivonka, Dale Hunter, and Calle Johansson. That season, Gonchar tallied two goals and five assists for seven points in 31 games. He followed that up by suiting up in his first full season in the league and notching 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 78 games. It did not take Gonchar long to get used to playing in the NHL, and his numbers offensively were proof of that. While in Washington, he amassed the following:
- 1994-95: two goals and five assists for seven points in 31 games
- 1995-96: 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points in 78 games
- 1996-97: 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 57 games
- 1997-98: five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 72 games
- 1998-99: 21 goals and 10 assists for 31 points in 53 games
- 1999-2000: 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 73 games
- 2000-01: 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 76 games
- 2001-02: 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 76 games
- 2002-03: 18 goals and 49 assists for 67 points in 82 games
- 2003-04: seven goals and 42 assists for 49 points in 56 games
Another asset Washington received as part of Stevens leaving on the Blues’ offer sheet was a first-round selection in the 1993 NHL Draft at 11th overall. With this choice, the Capitals picked defender Brendan Witt, who had grown his game in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Witt’s first NHL season with the Capitals came in 1995-96 when he suited up for 48 contests and accrued five points in that span (two goals and three assists). He was not known for bringing an offensive presence, but he did get points every so often. While in Washington, Witt collected the following stats:
- 1995-96: two goals and three assists for five points in 48 games
- 1996-97: three goals and two assists for five points in 44 games
- 1997-98: one goal and seven assists for eight points in 64 games
- 1998-99: two goals and five assists for seven points in 54 games
- 1999-2000: one goal and seven assists for eight points in 77 games
- 2000-01: three goals and three assists for six points in 72 games
- 2001-02: three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 68 games
- 2002-03: two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 69 games
- 2003-04: two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 72 games
- 2005-06: one goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 58 games
Witt was known more for his physicality, providing many hits while he was on the ice. In fact, Witt led the entire league in hits during the 2000-01 season. His leadership skills were also crucial to the organization. This was so much the case that he was named a co-captain of the squad along with forward Steve Konowalchuk.
Gonchar and Witt Go Elsewhere
The 2003-04 Capitals made quite a few trades. The franchise was transitioning to the next era, which led to the organization drafting superstar Alex Ovechkin, and many great talents were shipped out during the 2003-04 campaign. Bondra was dealt to the Ottawa Senators, forward Jaromir Jagr was moved to the New York Rangers, Robert Lang was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, Mike Grier to the Buffalo Sabres, and Konowalchuk to the Colorado Avalanche. Gonchar, too, ended up on the move. He was traded by Capitals GM George McPhee to the Boston Bruins. The full deal was Gonchar to the Bruins for defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, a first-round pick in the 2004 Draft that became Jeff Schultz, and a second-round pick in 2004.
Related: Revisiting the Capitals’ Disastrous Jagr Trade
Witt stayed in D.C. for the entirety of the 2003-04 season. He also played in some games for the Capitals in 2005-06. However, he was traded in the middle of that campaign to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Kris Beech and a first-round pick in 2006 that became goalie Semyon Varlamov.
Following his time in Boston, Gonchar joined the Pittsburgh Penguins before 2005-06. He helped them make the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back postseasons (2008 and 2009) and was a key piece in the club winning the Cup in 2009 against Detroit. He later also played for the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens before retiring from game action following the 2014-15 NHL season. He finished his career having played in 1,301 games and tallying 811 points (220 goals and 591 assists).
Witt, meanwhile, joined the New York Islanders prior to the 2006-07 campaign. He played for the Islanders for parts of four seasons, splitting his final one between them and the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Witt retired having suited up for 890 NHL games and posting 25 goals and 96 assists for 121 points.
Good Compensation from Losing Stevens
Losing Stevens and his skillset stung for the Capitals and their fans, but being able to acquire the level of talent Gonchar and Witt brought is not too bad of a return. Gonchar was a significant name on the back end for the majority of his career at the minimum, while Witt made an impact time and time again through physicality and leadership skills. They both played important roles for Washington while they were with the team. With how good they were, losing Stevens to the Blues was not as bad as it could have been.
