GM Brian MacLellan said Thursday he usually checks in with captain Alex Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom before the NHL Trade Deadline to get their thoughts about what the Capitals think they think he should do. Their answers usually differ as much as their personalities.
"Ovi's like, 'Just get someone.' Nick's 'Wait, wait, wait, wait, don't,'" MacLellan said. "It's kind of a fun dynamic. Our team, they're the key guys -- those two and [goaltender Braden] Holtby. We're trying to do everything around them. Make their lives easier so they can compete hard."
With the Capitals in first place in the Eastern Conference and League at 40-12-7, the consensus among them is they don't want mess with what has been working so well, and MacLellan said they've made that clear to him. MacLellan believes the Capitals have their "most complete team" of the Ovechkin era, which began in 2005-06, and they have "a tight group."
Still, there is pressure for them to advance past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1998, so MacLellan is wisely monitoring the trade market to see if there's anything available to help. MacLellan said he has been trying for a while to add a third goaltender with NHL experience.
Other than that, any move he makes would probably be similar to the trade for defenseman Tom Gilbert he completed with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 15, which cost a conditional 2017 fifth-round draft pick.
"We're exploring opportunities," MacLellan said. "We go through the same process as we've always gone through, but if something makes sense, we're going to pursue it. We're not going to mess with lines or defense pairs. If we could upgrade on the fringes, we might do it."