Ah, the lead-up to the NHL trade deadline. It’s a time when fans have dreams of onloading their team’s deadweight for help in the future (be it sooner or later) and/or fear of their general manager doing something deeply regrettable (be it sooner or later... or both).
Since being promoted to Caps general manager in May of 2014, Brian MacLellan has made 39 trades (per Pro Sports Transactions, which was a huge help in compiling this post), some of which contributed directly or indirectly to the team’s Stanley Cup win in 2018... and some of which have contributed directly or indirectly to some of the issues the team is facing currently.