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New Caps GM thinks ‘we need Brooks Laich’

Washington Capitals v Philadelphia Flyers

at Wells Fargo Center on March 5, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Elsa

Hey, remember back in March when we were speculating that Brooks Laich could be bought out by the Washington Capitals?

Yeah, we’re not sure we can speculate about that anymore after what new general manager Brian “George” MacLellan said today.

“I think we need Brooks Laich,” said MacLellan, per CBS’ Sky Kerstein. ‘When Brooks Laich’s in our line-up our team plays better. A healthy Brooks Laich.”

Key word there? Healthy. Because Laich has been anything but.

Laich injury log

That’s Laich’s injury log from the past year and a bit. You’ll note the number of times his groin has been a problem. Heck, just search “Laich groin” on PHT. You won’t find any shortage of posts.

Now, Laich did have surgery in March, and the procedure did leave him feeling “mentally and physically liberated and free to get on with my hockey career and excel in the sport – not just participate.”

So maybe his injury woes are finally behind him. The 30-year-old is signed through 2016-17 with a cap hit of $4.5 million, so the Caps, if they do keep him, better hope so.

Laich, by the way, was on hand for today’s press conference introducing McLellan and new head coach Barry Trotz.

Related: Trotz: ‘I don’t want to take anything away from the Capitals offensively’