© Jess Rapfogel/Washington Capitals

WASHINGTON — Coming from a family with four generations of Stanley Cup winners and NHL executives, Chris Patrick knows something about succession plans.

Patrick will play a significant role in one after being promoted to senior vice president and general manager by the Washington Capitals on Monday. He takes over the reins from Brian MacLellan, who will remain in a supervisory role as president of hockey operations after 10 seasons as GM, at a critical juncture when the Capitals are preparing to transition to life after Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on September 17th and is just three months away from embarking on his 20th NHL season, has been the prominent figure of the franchise ever since he was chosen as the top pick by the Washington team in the 2004 NHL Draft. He took on the role of captain in 2010 and has held that position ever since. Currently, Ovechkin has two seasons left on his five-year, $47.5 million contract ($9.5 million average annual value) that he signed in 2021. This sets up the possibility that the 2025-2026 season may mark his final appearance in the NHL.

Ovechkin will have sufficient time to score the 42 goals required to surpass Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894. Undoubtedly, his pursuit of this record will be a significant aspect of the Capitals’ narrative this season and possibly the next. It will be Patrick’s responsibility, with guidance from MacLellan, to ensure that this accomplishment marks the end of a remarkable chapter in the team’s 50-year history, which includes their inaugural Stanley Cup victory in 2018.

“I aim to be competitive,” Patrick declared during his introductory news conference on Tuesday. “I have a strong aversion to losing. I firmly believe that we can move beyond the Ovechkin era, so to speak, by constructing a team that is highly competitive.”

Patrick seems destined for this job, perhaps even to be an NHL GM. He belongs to a prestigious group of seven Patricks who have left their mark on the Cup as players and/or executives. This includes his grandfather Lester, great uncle Frank, grandfather Muzz, great uncle Lynn, first cousin once removed Craig, and his father Dick, who has been a long-standing minority owner and executive (currently serving as chairman) with the Capitals since 1982.

Before him, Lester, Frank, Muzz, Lynn, Craig, and Dick all had management positions with NHL teams. However, Chris took a different professional path initially, despite growing up playing in the Little Caps program and attending Princeton University from 1995 to 1998.

After completing his Bachelor of Science in politics and economics from Princeton in 1998, Chris furthered his education at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, earning his Masters in business administration in 2006. He then pursued a career in finance until 2008 when he realized his true passion lay within the family business.

Chris Patrick expressed how difficult it was for him not to develop a deep affection for the game, as he reminisced about his childhood visits to his grandparents’ house and the conversations he would have with his dad, grandfather, and Craig, while admiring the pictures.

Nevertheless, according to Dick Patrick, Chris’s current success is a result of his hard work and dedication.

Starting off in a player development and part-time scouting position, the 48-year-old dedicated 16 years to climb the Capitals’ organizational hierarchy. Through hard work and determination, he advanced to roles such as pro scout, director of player personnel, assistant GM, and ultimately, associate GM.

Last August, the appointment of MacLellan as president of hockey operations and Patrick as associate GM marked the initial phase of this management transition. Patrick assumed greater responsibilities last season, including overseeing Washington’s analytics department, player contract negotiations, hockey operations staff, player personnel, and managing budget and team scheduling matters.

MacLellan’s job when he replaced George McPhee as GM after Washington missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2014 was to get more out of a star-studded roster with Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom in their primes and much of the rest of the Stanley Cup core ready to emerge, including forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson, defensemen John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov and goalie Braden Holtby. MacLellan supplemented that group by adding key players such as defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen, and forwards T.J. Oshie and Lars Eller. The Capitals went 449-244-88 during MacLellan’s tenure — the third-most wins in the NHL during that span behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (475) and Boston Bruins (466).

From 2015-16 to 2019-20, Washington showcased their playoff prowess by making it to the playoffs nine times. They also dominated the Metropolitan Division for five consecutive seasons, securing the top spot. Their exceptional performance earned them the prestigious Presidents’ Trophy in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 regular seasons. However, the pinnacle of their success came in 2018 when they triumphantly lifted the coveted Cup.

Patrick’s goal is not simply to replicate MacLellan’s achievements, but rather to efficiently guide Washington towards its next era of competitiveness, with the ultimate aim of contending for the Cup.

According to Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, although Chris has a substantial workload, we are not compromising our standards.

© Tom Gulitti

However, the transition in the front-office is expected to be much smoother compared to the one happening on the ice. The team’s roster has significantly changed since their Cup victory, leaving only Ovechkin, Oshie (37), Carlson (34), and Wilson (30) as the remaining players from that championship team. Additionally, Oshie’s playing future is uncertain due to recurring back problems.

Ovechkin’s age is starting to show as well, as he went from scoring 42 goals in the 2022-23 season to 31 in the previous season. However, he still managed to lead the Capitals in goal-scoring, and his impressive performance of 23 goals in his last 36 regular-season games played a significant role in securing their playoff qualification. With a total of 91 points (40-31-11), the Capitals earned the second wild card spot from the Eastern Conference.

Before signing his current contract, Leonsis and MacLellan made a promise to Ovechkin – they assured him that they would continue striving for victory as he pursues the goals record. As a result, the Capitals have been actively seeking to rejuvenate the team and reshape it around Ovechkin.

They’ve been particularly aggressive this offseason, acquiring forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, 26, and Andrew Mangiapane, 28, defenseman Jakob Chychrun, 26, and backup goalie Logan Thompson, 27, in trades and signing forwards Taylor Raddysh, 26, and Brandon Duhaime, 27, and defenseman Matt Roy, 29, as unrestricted free agents.

Patrick was part of that decision-making on those moves with MacLellan, who called it, “a group process.” The Capitals see potential in how the new players will fit alongside those previously added such as forward Dylan Strome, 27, and defenseman Rasmus Sandin, 24, and maturing young players acquired through the NHL Draft such as forwards Connor McMichael, 23, Aliaksei Protas, 23, Hendrix Lapierre, 22, and Ivan Miroshnichenko, 20, and defenseman Martin Fehervary, 24.

While the chances of finding another Ovechkin-like player are slim, it’s important to remember that generational talents are rare. Washington, therefore, needs to approach it collectively, and Patrick believes they have taken a promising step in that direction.

He expressed his belief that our offseason achievements have already made a significant impact. Many may suggest that it’s time to rebuild and start from scratch because our star players are getting older. However, he thinks that in reality, this process can be much more challenging than it appears. Numerous teams have attempted it, only to find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of tearing down and rebuilding, never reaching their desired destination.

“…We may witness certain teams successfully shifting from an older nucleus to a youthful, yet formidable team. I firmly believe that this possibility exists for us as well.”