The Washington Capitals have had some very good general managers. Before building the Nashville Predators from their inception and being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024, David Poile was the Capitals’ GM for 15 seasons. He brought in some of the best to ever play for the organization, like Rod Langway and Peter Bondra. Following Poile was George McPhee, who drafted Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Braden Holtby, among others, who were huge components in the franchise winning their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018.
Then, there is Brian MacLellan, who took over for McPhee in 2014. Despite the team’s success under McPhee, the Capitals still had trouble getting over the hump in the playoffs. The organization needed a new face to provide his stamp on a roster that already had a lot of talent. MacLellan, along with Barry Trotz, who was hired as head coach, fit what they were looking for.
Related: Trotz Not the Problem With Capitals, What Is?
MacLellan is now leaving the GM role but remaining as team president. Here’s a look back at some of the decisions he made to help Washington win their first championship.
MacLellan’s Crucial Free Agent Additions
A good portion of the 2018 Cup-winning team included free agents signed by MacLellan. He signed veteran blueliners Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen, who both had played for the Pittsburgh Penguins before coming to D.C. Orpik had gone to two straight Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009 and won the Cup in his second appearance. He was brought in to be a guide for his Washington teammates. Niskanen, meanwhile, could provide complementary scoring from the backend. During Niskanen’s tenure with the Penguins, he posted the following numbers:
- 2010-11: one goal and three assists for four points in 18 games
- 2011-12: four goals and 17 assists for 21 points in 75 games
- 2012-13: four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 40 games
- 2013-14: 10 goals and 36 assists for 46 points in 81 games
Niskanen provided the perfect amount of help for the Capitals. He was in D.C. for parts of five campaigns and produced the following numbers:
- 2014-15: four goals and 27 assists for 31 points in 82 games
- 2015-16: five goals and 27 assists for 32 points in 82 games
- 2016-17: five goals and 34 assists for 39 points in 78 games
- 2017-18: seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points in 68 games
- 2018-19: eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 80 games
In the 2018 postseason, Niskanen tallied one goal and nine points, holding…
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