The Washington Capitals promoted Chris Patrick to general manager back on July 8. It ended a decade of Brian MacLellan holding the reins for the club in that position. There have been at least a few great GMs in the franchise’s history. David Poile was just inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024. George McPhee took over after Poile and got some of the best players in franchise history; such as Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, and Braden Holtby. Then, there is MacLellan. He figured out what remaining pieces were necessary to acquire and build around the core talents already in place. He got the right players to get Washington over the hump and win their first Stanley Cup in 2018. What were some of the best players he traded for as GM?
These are what I believe are MacLellan’s top five players traded for during his tenure as Capitals GM. These do not count the trades he made this offseason before handing the reins to Patrick. None of these new additions like Logan Thompson or Jakob Chychrun have played a game for D.C. yet. They can be evaluated at a later time.
5.) Kevin Shattenkirk
Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk had played in parts of seven seasons with the St. Louis Blues and had been one of their most important players on the backend. However, the Blues decided to deal him near the 2017 NHL Trade Deadline, because it looked like they were not going to be able to re-sign him in time. The Blues’ loss was Brian MacLellan’s gain. The Capitals traded for Shattenkirk, along with goalie Pheonix Copley; and sent St. Louis Brad Malone, Zach Sanford, a first-round pick in 2017, and a 2019 conditional second-round pick
Shattenkirk played in 19 regular-season games for the Capitals. He scored two goals and tallied 12 assists during that span. Also, in the 2017 postseason, he scored a goal and notched five assists for a total of six points in 13 games. Gaining a defender like Shattenkirk was big considering the impact he had both offensively and defensively during his days in St. Louis. MacLellan also deepened the depth of that 2017 Washington blue line; which also had John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov, Karl Alzner, Brooks Orpik, and Nate Schmidt. It was a classic case of getting a stellar rental to boost the lineup as it took a run to try and get their first Stanley Cup back then.
The Capitals did not re-sign Shattenkirk after the 2017 playoffs, and he left the organization as a free agent for the New York Rangers. While his time in Washington was brief, MacLellan deserves credit for beating out other teams for his services and further adding depth to a defense that already had a lot of skill on it.
4.) Anthony Mantha
Brian MacLellan acquired Anthony Mantha from the Detroit Red Wings prior to the 2021 NHL trade deadline. He dealt Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a first-round pick in the 2021 Draft and a second-round pick in 2022 to get him. Mantha had been one of the Red Wings’ top offensive players during his time in the Motor City. He had back-to-back campaigns with 48 points each in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Finishing out the 2020-21 season, Mantha scored four goals and produced four assists for eight points in 14 games. He also registered two assists in five playoffs games during their 2021 run. During the rest of his time in D.C., Mantha produced the following regular-season numbers:
- 2021-22: nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 37 games
- 2022-23: 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 67 games
- 2023-24: 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points in 56 games
Mantha also accrued six assists in the span of 11 games between both the 2021 and 2022 postseason runs.
MacLellan, with Mantha’s contract expiring in the 2024 offseason, struck a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. Washington moved him in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Overall, Mantha was a good offensive piece for the Capitals. He never reached the 48 point career high he had twice in Detroit, but he provided offensive stability while he was in D.C. MacLellan was not afraid to pay the price to bring a very good talent on the roster. He did that and got good production out of Mantha.
3.) Rasmus Sandin
Brian MacLellan was so good with making trades. While some other GMs may only want to focus on getting rentals during the trade deadline, MacLellan was not afraid to make a splash for both the short and long-term of the franchise. Prior to the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, he acquired defenseman Rasmus Sandin from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for blueliner Erik Gustafsson and a first-round pick in 2023. Sandin played in 19 games for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign, where he scored three goals and registered 12 assists.
The Capitals then locked up Sandin to a five-year contract for $23 million. He is looked upon as one of the core defenders for the next era of the franchise. He will be one of the faces of the blue line as the Capitals eventually transition from the Alex Ovechkin Era to the next chapter. During the 2023-24 season, Sandin scored three goals and registered 20 assists for 23 points in 68 games. He also suited up in one playoff game for Washington against the New York Rangers and went without a point.
MacLellan may no longer be the Capitals GM, but his impact of bringing in Sandin will be felt for many seasons to come.
2.) Lars Eller
Lars Eller was such an important addition to Washington’s roster as it showed when they won the Stanley Cup back in 2018. Brian MacLellan traded for Eller during the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He got Eller from the Montreal Canadiens for two second-round picks (one from the 2017 NHL Draft and the other from the 2018 Draft). Eller played his role of a supporting forward in the lineup so well. He provided additional depth scoring and deepened the center core for the club. While a member of the Capitals, he put up the following stats:
- 2016-17: 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 81 games
- 2017-18: 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 81 games
- 2018-19: 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in 81 games
- 2019-20: 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 69 games
- 2020-21: eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 44 games
- 2021-22: 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 72 games
- 2022-23: seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 60 games
Eller’s biggest moment in D.C. came during Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final when he scored the tiebreaking goal to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead in the third period over the Vegas Golden Knights. The score held and Washington won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Eller scored many important goals for the Capitals during his time with the organization, but that will always probably be the biggest tally of his career.
Eventually, Eller’s time in Washington came to an end. Brian MacLellan dealt him to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2025 second-round pick. He was a free agent in the 2023 offseason and had not signed an extension with the Capitals. As a result, MacLellan moved on from him and got a return for him.
Despite moving on to play elsewhere, Eller will always be remembered for his Washington days. The 2018 roster had stars like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and T. J. Oshie that led the charge with the forwards; but having solid depth helps push the best organizations to the top of the mountain. Eller was one of those depth forwards to help stabilize the Capitals on offense. He made their scoring depth larger and was a key member of the team during his tenure in D.C.
1.) T.J. Oshie
Brian MacLellan’s best trade he made as Capitals GM was obtaining T.J. Oshie from the St. Louis Blues. Since arriving in D.C., he has been one of the most productive talents on the offense. He helped get the 2018 Capitals to their first championship with his contributions. He has also become one of the best American players to ever don Washington’s jersey. During his seasons with the Capitals, Oshie accumulated the following stats:
- 2015-16: 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points in 80 games
- 2016-17: 33 goals and 23 assists for 56 points in 68 games
- 2017-18: 18 goals and 29 assists for 47 points in 74 games
- 2018-19: 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points in 69 games
- 2019-20: 26 goals and 23 assists for 49 points in 69 games
- 2020-21: 22 goals and 21 assists for 43 points in 53 games
- 2021-22: 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 44 games
- 2022-23: 19 goals and 16 assists for 35 points in 58 games
- 2023-24: 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 52 games
During the 2018 postseason run to the Stanley Cup, Oshie was ranked fourth on the roster in points. He had eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 24 games. Only Kuznetsov (32 points), Ovechkin (27), and Nicklas Backstrom (23) had more than him. Even with a lot of talent around him, Oshie still shined in his own right and deserves his own share of credit for his contributions.
Oshie has one season remaining on his current contract. He is dealing with back issues. Time will tell if he is able to come back to play or if he eventually retires. Even if he never plays another game again, he is one of the best to ever suit up for Washington. He was a big factor in them winning a Cup, and he no doubt was the best player acquired during MacLellan’s time as GM.
