General manager Brian MacLellan barely had time to catch his breath following the Capitals’ run to the Stanley Cup last season before addressing the 2018-19 roster.



Thanks to the Capitals’ first-round exit at the hands of the Hurricanes last week, MacLellan has plenty of time to work on the makeup of the ’19-20 squad. And this time around, he faces more of a challenge.



There will be expiring contracts, salary-cap issues, potential trades and the possible retirement of a key player for MacLellan to handle.



One thing MacLellan has going for him is a core group that is as strong as any team in the NHL.



“I think the margins are where you’re trying to add value as a manager,” MacLellan said. “Can we get a little more offense here? Can we get a little deeper? How do we maintain our depth? Because every team is so close, any team can beat any team, so it’s important, every personnel decision, how you spend...