Capitals GM: Shattenkirk was only player available that made us better
Brian MacLellan was presented with a chance to make his club even better, and he took it.
The Washington Capitals general manager addressed the acquisition of Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues in a conference call Tuesday, saying the defenseman was his singular target on the trade market.
Related: Blues trade Shattenkirk to Capitals
Brian MacLellan: "I thought there was one guy we were going to pursue who was going to make our team better. It was him."
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 28, 2017
"He’s a good player. One of the top power-play guys in the league, offensive defenseman, breakout passes ... those are his strengths," MacLellan said, adding the team could look to re-sign Shattenkirk in the offseason, meaning he's not necessarily a pure rental player.
Shattenkirk had recorded 11 goals and 31 assists in 61 games for the Blues so far this season, with 20 of those points coming with the man advantage.
The Capitals head toward Wednesday's trade deadline sitting first overall in the standings and could very well win the Presidents' Trophy for the second straight season. That's definitely not the lone goal in Washington, however.
“Winning a championship” - Brian MacLellan when asked what ‘success’ means to the team. #RockTheRed
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 28, 2017
Shattenkirk is expected to join the Capitals in time to suit up against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.