From CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley, after Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan held a conference call earlier today:
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MacLellan says his priority is to upgrade defense. #CapitalsTalk
— Chuck Gormley (@CharlesAGormley) June 16, 2014
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MacLellan says he thinks he would get aggressive to land a top-line defenseman. #CapitalsTalk
— Chuck Gormley (@CharlesAGormley) June 16, 2014
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MacLellan says priority is to get Mike Green on track, not to trade him. #CapitalsTalk
— Chuck Gormley (@CharlesAGormley) June 16, 2014
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It’s that second tweet, about getting aggressive to land a top defenseman, that drew our attention. In unrestricted free agency, the options are limited for MacLellan, with Matt Niskanen, Dan Boyle and Andrei Markov among the top names available. The former is 27 years old and in line for a big contract; the other two are aging blue-liners whose best years are behind them.
MacLellan could also get aggressive in a trade. (I threw out the name Jason Garrison on Twitter, and was promptly rebuffed by Caps fans. Feel free to throw out your own ideas in the comments section.)
CSN Washington has more from MacLellan’s call here.