Washington Capitals: Top 3 greatest general managers of all-time
#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.
Hot. Metropolitan Division Offseason: Winners and Losers. light
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.