Washington Capitals: Top 3 greatest general managers of all-time
The Washington Capitals have had six general managers in their franchise history. We thought about making a top 5 list but that wouldn’t have been fair to the odd man out. So we decided to go with a top 3 list narrowing it down to the three best general managers of all-time with the Caps.
These guys constructed brilliant rosters and helped lead the Caps to runs to the playoffs. One general manager was lucky enough to come out on top. The other two helped build the winning foundation and culture in Washington. If it wasn’t for any of these three, who knows where the Caps would be right now?
#3 David Poile
David Poile was named the fourth general manager in Washington Capitals history on August 30, 1982. He held that role until May 12, 1997. He helped lead the Caps to 14 playoff appearances and one division title. The Caps had a winning record of 594-454-124 in his 15 seasons with the team.
Poile was 33 years old at the time of his hiring by then team owner Abe Pollin. He was the youngest general manager at the time. His hiring was vital. The Caps were about to relocate but Poile’s roster construction helped save the team. He wasted no time starting out on the job as he acquired Rod Langway, Doug Jarvis, Craig Laughlin and Brian Engblom from the Montreal Canadiens. They would make the playoffs for the first time that season.
#2 George McPhee
After Poile it would be George McPhee who would take over beginning on June 9, 1997 stretching all the way to April 26, 2014. He helped lead the Caps to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998. He also helped lead them to their first Presidents’ Trophy with the NHL’s best record in 2009-10. Overall he won one conference title, seven division titles and guided the Caps to 10 playoff appearances.
His biggest challenge came in the 2003-04 season when both him and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis dumped salary and began to focus on a youth movement. It was tough at the time but if it wasn’t for that fire sale or embracing the tank, McPhee wouldn’t have been able to draft Alex Ovechkin at number one overall in 2004.
Three years later, that fire sale would pay off as the Caps would turn their season around from a 6-14-1 record to a Southeast Division championship. It was an unprecedented comeback and helped rejuvenate the fan base as well as turn D.C. into a hockey town.
McPhee wouldn’t win the ultimate prize with the Caps and after the team had a rare playoff miss in 2014, the team elected not to renew his contract. He has since been general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights. Ironically he took them to the Final his first year before falling to the Caps.
#1 Brian MacLellan
Coming in at number one on our list is none other than Brian MacLellan. After George McPhee left the Caps, Brian MacLellan was hired a month later on May 26, 2014. He got promoted from assistant general manager to the next general manager and despite this move being in house, he proved to be the opposite of his predecessor.
MacLellan actually had been with the Caps long before he was an assistant. He was a fixture for the 13 seasons prior to becoming a general manager. First he was a pro scout and then a director of player personnel and then spent seven seasons as an assistant to McPhee.
General manager Brian MacLellan talks to the media after Day 2 of the #NHLDraft.#CapsDraft | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/mspl9YTNHK
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 25, 2021
He helped lead the Caps back to the playoffs for seven straight years and haven’t missed since 2014 prior to his hire. The Caps have won five division titles under MacLellan, two Presidents’ Trophies in back to back years before finally winning their first Stanley Cup in 2018.
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GMBM has been known for making some decent moves. His best trade came when the team acquired T.J. Oshie from the St. Louis Blues. It was that trade that would later help them win the Stanley Cup a few years later. Now his focus is doing what he can to build around the core so they can make one last run at another Cup.