Trotz apologized for suggesting Shattenkirk isn't a top-pair defenseman

Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz apologized to New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk for calling into question his former player's abilities.

Prior to a game between the two clubs on Dec. 7, Trotz said the Capitals acquired Shattenkirk last season with a view to installing him as a top-pair defenseman down the stretch, but he didn't come as advertised and failed expectations.

Trotz, however, later clarified his comments in a personal moment with Shattenkirk.

"He came up to me and apologized after the game," Shattenkirk said Monday, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "He explained what he had said and told me that it had been portrayed differently than he intended. I appreciated that."

Washington won that game 4-2, and Shattenkirk added Trotz's comments were weighing on his mind when he took to the ice.

"That game I felt I had a point to prove and then the first shift it’s in the net,” said Shattenkirk, whose turnover led to a goal 14 seconds in. "I felt that I was playing catch-up the rest of the way. But after the game, talking to him and with the explanation he gave me, I put it out of my mind. It hasn’t stuck with me."