Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan spoke to the press on Wednesday for the first time after making several more big moves during the first day of NHL Free Agency.
From the team’s war room set up out in Las Vegas, Nevada, MacLellan traded Nick Jensen and a draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. The Capitals also signed defenseman Matt Roy to a six-year deal and inked forwards Taylor Raddysh and Brandon Duhaime to shorter contracts.
Combined already with the trades for Pierre-Luc Dubois (which earned a thumbs up from Alex Ovechkin), Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson, MacLellan re-made nearly a third of the Capitals roster.
“I think we realized where we were at last year,” MacLellan said. “We knew we had to get better. We had to add. For Ovi, too. I mean, there’s a lot of pressure on Ovi to produce last year because we lacked the depth in that area. So hopefully, he’s supported here more with a better overall team this year.”
Here’s what MacLellan had to say when asked about the moves at Capitals Development Camp.
Brian MacLellan transcript
The following questions have been edited slightly for clarity.
You turned over a third of your roster in the last two weeks. How would you assess the job you’ve done?
Brian MacLellan: “Pretty excited about it. I think our group did a good job. I think we had a good draft, good free agency, and a couple good trades. We’re excited to start the season.”
You said you wanted to change up your defense group. What was the goal in adding both Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy?
Brian MacLellan: “Just the elements they provide. The Chychrun thing, the offense, the shot, the ability to jump in the play, and then Roy is stabilizing. And I think [Roy] has a little more offense too in his game, where he can jump into plays. He’s a good skater. So, I think the group skillset now seems to fit better now than it did before.”
Where do you see Chychrun and Roy slotting in?
Brian MacLellan: “I really like our right side, it’s got a little bit of everything, and I think the left side they’ll experiment with. You could see Chychrun and [John Carlson], which I think would be a good pair. You could see Chychrun and Roy. You could see Chychrun and [Trevor van Riemsdyk]. I think they can move the left side around depending on what they want to accomplish matchup-wise.”
How much were you interested in Chychrun before he was traded to Ottawa?
Brian MacLellan: “Yeah, we were in on him. We’ve been in on him a few times, yeah.”
His contract is up soon. Is there potential for him to stay here long-term?
Brian MacLellan: “Yeah, we’ll wait. We’ll see how the fit is, both for him, if he likes the organization, the coaches, his role. We’ve got a lot of time to figure that one out.”
Are Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh penciled in for your fourth line?
Brian MacLellan: “We’ll see how it works in training camp but Duhaime definitely with [Nic] Dowd and we’ll figure out the right side as camp goes through.”
Duhaime had seven fights last year. Was that something you guys were looking to add?
Brian MacLellan: “The physicality I think is important. He’s a hard forechecker, finishes checks. I think we need that element in our game and I think it works well with Dowd. I think him and [Garnet] Hathaway played well together and I envision him and Duhaime will play well together.”
What about Raddysh?
Brian MacLellan: “He’s an interesting player. I think we can get more out of him. He has a pretty good skill set, pretty good size, can make plays. It’s just a matter of getting an identity for him, I think. 20 goals a couple years ago. I think he could complement those two with playmaking, keeping plays alive, and provide some offense.”
Connor McMichael signed a bridge deal. Is that what you were envisioning?
Brian MacLellan: “I think so. I think Connor sees himself as going to be, you know, take strides forward. Where we’re at right now, I think a bridge deal makes sense for both sides.”
Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson are your new goaltending tandem. How do you feel about them?
Brian MacLellan: “Good. I mean, Charlie had a great year last year and Logan has been a good goalie here for a number of years.”
Why did you decide Thompson was the goaltender to go out and get?
Brian MacLellan: “Just like the way he’s played. We have a relationship with him. Our staff has a relationship with him. He’s gained a lot of experience. He’s got good size, plays a good style. Looking forward to having him on the team.”
Are you done making moves?
Brian MacLellan: “I think so. I think so. Unless something comes up.”
You have eight defensemen. Do you envision going into the season with that many?
Brian MacLellan: “As of now, I would. What did we use last year, 13-14 D? A lot. I always err on the side of too many, so I would be comfortable with eight.”
Do you find yourself taking risks to try and keep this team competitive?
Brian MacLellan: “I think we’ve been trying to take risks. Looking for upside in players. Trying to find players that we think we can create an environment where they’re more successful. That’s been our philosophy, versus let’s just tank it and go down and try and win the lottery, which is a painful approach to it. We are taking a lot of risks.”
