After a decade at the helm of the Washington Capitals, Brian MacLellan stepped aside as the team’s general manager, the Capitals announced Monday morning.
“We are thrilled to announce Chris’ promotion to general manager,” team owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive, who is fully prepared for this next step in his career. His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen, and player evaluation make him the perfect leader to drive our team forward. We are confident that he will thrive in this new role.”
Patrick, 48, is the son of team chairman Dick Patrick and began his professional hockey career as a scout for the Capitals in 2009. In 2014, he was promoted to director of player personnel, and he became an assistant general manager in 2021, primarily overseeing minor league operations with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League and managing the professional scouting staff.
During his tenure, the Bears won back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024. Patrick hired coaches Spencer Carbery and Todd Nelson, both of whom won AHL coach of the year awards; Carbery later became coach of the Capitals.
Patrick’s role transitioned to associate general manager last season, a slight title change that included significantly expanded responsibilities: Patrick added oversight of the analytics department, player contract negotiations, hockey operations staff, player personnel, budget and scheduling to his list of duties.
MacLellan, 65, became the president of hockey operations, in addition to his title as general manager, last season. At the time, the promotion was to allow Dick Patrick, the longtime team president, to take a less active role as chairman while promoting Chris Patrick to associate general manager — a line of succession for MacLellan that came to fruition just one year later.
