A look at Brian MacLellan’s outstanding offseason

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan entered the 2019 offseason with a tricky job to accomplish.

The Washington Capitals were less than a calendar year removed from a Stanley Cup championship, but were also fresh off a first round defeat at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. Paired in with that was a salary cap that was tighter than it appeared and a team with some clear contracts that could be shed, MacLellan was in for an offseason that could’ve gone off the rails.

Yet, he passed with flying colors. And the Capitals are a better team for it.

To start, there were a few clear issues with the 2018-19 iteration of the Capitals. Notably, they weren’t a very strong possession…