from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,

When you took over as GM, did you think that by adding two defensemen (Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik) and hiring Barry Trotz as coach during the first summer, and then the following year adding two forwards (T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams), that you'd have a team that would be leading the league in points?

MacLellan: "That first summer we wanted to address goaltending and defense. Braden Holtby had had an off-year, and there were some things going on coaching-wise and style-wise and we wanted to fix that. And we wanted to solidify our defense. We pursued a puck-mover, skater (Niskanen) to play with Karl Alzner and then a defensive guy (Orpik) to play with John Carlson. We were fortunate to get both. This past year, the priority was to get a winger to play with (Nicklas) Backstrom and (Alex) Ovechkin. We looked to do it through a trade, and T.J. Oshie became available. At the same time, we were trying to negotiate with (Joel) Ward or find a replacement. That is how we ended up with Justin Williams. He was just what we needed. We had trouble getting over the hump, and he has experience, most recently in Los Angeles, in doing that."

Did you see Trotz as a good fit to coach Ovechkin?

MacLellan: "I think we go as Ovechkin goes. If he is buying into what’s going on with our team, we are going to be more successful. Yes, I had a lot of discussions with Barry about what his history had been with different styles of coaching. We talked about what Barry thought and what I thought about the best approach with (Ovechkin). And I think Barry has done a great job with him. He has held him accountable, and he has earned Ovi’s trust. Ovi has reciprocated by playing a good team game and playing within the structure."

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