Wednesday night, the NHL announced that the Capitals’ Brian MacLellan is a finalist for the 2015-16 General Manager of the Year Award. MacLellan helped guide the Caps to the President’s Trophy (as the league’s best regular season team) and the most wins in franchise history (56) this season. Over the summer, MacLellan acquired key veterans TJ Oshie and Justin Williams and re-signed Braden Holtby to a long-term deal.
The Capitals have reached the 100-point plateau in each of MacLellan’s first two seasons as general manager. MacLellan was previously the understudy of long-time Caps general manager George McPhee, who pieced together most of the core of the current roster.
The Penguins’ Jim Rutherford and the Stars’ Jim Nill are also finalists.
MacLellan becomes the the fourth Capital up for an NHL Award this season. Mac will join head Ccoach Barry Trotz (Jack Adams Award), goaltender Braden Holtby (Vezina Trophy), and captain Alex Ovechkin in Las Vegas (Richard Trophy, Messier NHL Leadership Award).
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The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan is one of three finalists for the 2015-16 General Manager of the Year Award. Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars and Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins have also been nominated. Voting for the award was conducted among the 30 club general managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the conference semifinals of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 22, during the 2016 NHL Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
MacLellan, 57, is vying to become the first Capitals general manager to win the award since it was introduced in 2009-10. MacLellan assembled a roster that was a runaway winner of the 2015-16 Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season club (56-18-8, 120 points). The Capitals’ 56 victories set a franchise record and made them just the 10th team in League history to collect as many wins in one season – and the first to do so since the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings (58). Washington also set the franchise record in road victories this season (27) and its 120 points fell one shy of the team record set in 2009-10 (121). After signing free-agent defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik in 2014, MacLellan acquired a pair of key forwards last summer, signing Justin Williams and trading for T.J. Oshie. The Capitals ranked second in both goals per game (3.02) and goals-against per game (2.33) in 2015-16.
MacLellan was named the sixth general manager in the Capitals history on May 26, 2014. Washington has reached the 100-point plateau in each of his first two seasons as general manager (2014-15: 101 points). He is in his 15th season with Washington after serving as the team’s assistant general manager, player personnel for the previous seven seasons.
