Capitals’ Brian MacLellan Not Among Those At GM Meeting In Toronto

After the Hockey Hall of Fame inductions in Toronto on Tuesday, 29 of the league’s general managers came together for a short, traditional GM meeting to start discussing trades among other things. Two GMs weren’t there, including Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan.

Per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, MacLellan didn’t attend with his Capitals on a three-game road swing and the team facing the Florida Panthers, while Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen also didn’t attend due to a flight issue.

On Tuesday, MacLellan watched as Washington drop its third contest over its last four games, a 5-2 loss to the Panthers that saw the power play continue to come up empty while Florida was also able to effectively shut down its opponent at 5-on-5.

READ MORE ON WHN: Washington Capitals Continue To Struggle On Power Play, Fall In Ugly Loss To Panthers

The start of the season hasn’t gone according to plan at all for MacLellan’s Capitals, who are 7-9-2 and sit third-to-last in the Metropolitan Division. They are currently three points out of fourth in the Metro and a Wild Card spot. However, it’s tough to put much blame anywhere at the moment. The goaltending’s been good and Washington is dealing with seven injuries to key players in Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie, Connor Brown, Carl Hagelin, Dmitry Orlov and Beck Malenstyn, as well as a suspension for Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Still, given the team’s struggles on the man advantage and the lack of chemistry on the forward lines and defensive pairings, MacLellan may want to consider making a move of some kind with the playoffs still within reach and the season still young. There are quite a few names available and teams shopping, including the Montreal Canadiens (who reached out to the Capitals) and, per LeBrun, the Ottawa Senators.