Capitals promote Chris Patrick to general manager, Brian MacLellan remains president of hockey operations

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals named Chris Patrick general manager on Monday, with longtime general manager Brian MacLellan remaining as president of hockey operations.

Patrick, 48, who was also named senior vice president, served in various roles with the Capitals since 2009, including the past three years as assistant general manager under McClellan. The son of longtime team president Dick Patrick, he previously served as director of player personnel after a long career as a professional scout.

“Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive who is completely ready for the next step in his career,” owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen and player evaluation make him the perfect leader to lead our team moving forward.”

McClellan, 65, served as general manager for 10 years after succeeding George McPhee in 2014. He was instrumental in building the team that won the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2018.

“I am confident that our dynamic leadership team with Dick Patrick as chairman, Brian as president and Chris as general manager will continue to lead our hockey operations department forward,” Leonsis said. “Brian's leadership, experience and vision for our hockey team, combined with Chris' impressive track record and successful tenure as an executive, talent evaluator and guardian of our minor league partnerships, will position our hockey operations team for success in the future.”

The front-office shakeup is the latest across the NHL to see an established GM move up the ranks and hand over day-to-day operations. This comes after the Avalanche won a Cup with Colorado in 2022, with Chris McFarland replacing Joe Sakic as GM and Sakic becoming president of hockey operations. Meanwhile, St. Louis has laid out a succession plan that sees Alexander Steen and Doug Armstrong follow a similar path.

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