The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals aggressively cleared salary cap space and found a potential starting job for their backup netminder in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche before Friday's NHL draft in Dallas.

The Capitals sent defenseman Brooks Orpik, 37, and goalie Philipp Grubauer, 26, to the Avalanche for a second-round pick, No. 47 overall, in the 2018 draft.

Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin went first overall to the Buffalo Sabres and Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov second to the Carolina Hurricanes in the two most predictable developments of an NHL draft that also featured some curveballs.