Ted Leonsis

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said new senior vice president/general manager Brian MacLellan believes the relationship between the NHL team and its AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, needs to be stronger.

(AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)

Fans who watched Hershey Bears games the past four years knew something wasn't right. Tuesday afternoon, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis acknowledged the problem in a surprising forum.

Less than seven minutes into a news conference formally introducing senior vice president/general manager Brian MacLellan and head coach Barry Trotz, Leonsis said MacLellan opened his eyes to trouble in Chocolatetown.

"One thing that struck me loud and clear [from MacLellan] was that we had drafted very, very well but perhaps some of our development had gone sideways over the last couple of years and we needed to make a big re-commitment to our affiliate in Hershey," Leonsis said at Verizon Center. "I think that was news to us, how we needed to re-bond and make a recommitment to Hershey.

"I've always thought when we were at our best as an organization was when the coaching staff and GM of our AHL affiliate and NHL team were in synch. Brian has a real respect for what's going on in Hershey. And from Barry, you'll also see a real appreciation for that. They both said the same things to us in different interviews. They feel this can be a partnership that can really work."

Since claiming back-to-back Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010, the Bears have their last three playoff series and didn't qualify for the postseason this spring.

Hershey president/general manager Doug Yingst was close friends with former Washington senior VP/GM George McPhee, whose contract wasn't renewed last month.

From left, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, new senior vice president/general manager Brian MacLellan, new head coach Barry Trotz and team president Dick Patrick are all smiles during a news conference Tuesday at Verizon Center in Washington. After missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years, the Caps hired former Nashville Predators coach Trotz and promoted MacLellan to general manager.

Communication between Yingst and McPhee wasn't the problem, but other issues need to be settled going into the 2014-15 season.

"There were constant lines of communication between Washington's GM, assistant GM [MacLellan] and myself," Yingst said Tuesday afternoon. "But there was a disconnect mode with [Caps] coaches in recent seasons."

After former Bears head coach Bruce Boudreau was fired by Washington in December of 2011, the team's past two coaches were Dale Hunter and Adam Oates. Neither seemed especially plugged into what was going on at the minor league level.

The Bears and Caps have been working together since prior to the 2005-06 season, when Hershey won a championship in its first year of the affiliation. The two sides announced May 13 they had signed a one-year extension of their deal.

Yingst was pleasantly surprised the Bears were such an early topic of discussion at the Caps' news conference.

"To hear it coming from the owner – from Ted Leonsis – that there are things we can do to improve the situation in Hershey was very encouraging," Yingst said. "Beside the lack of [Washington] draft choices playing here in recent years, I'd say player nutrition and the overall physical conditioning of our players would be two areas" where the NHL club could help do things better.

New Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, right, jokes with players John Carlson, left, and Braden Holtby after a news conference in Washington on Tuesday.

MacLellan served as McPhee's assistant GM for player personnel and pro scouting the past seven seasons. Part of his duties involved working with Yingst compiling Hershey's roster. Those responsibilities will likely be handled by someone else now, although no new assistant GM has been named yet.

As for the Bears, Yingst remains in the market for a head coach to replace Mike Haviland, who left for a position at Colorado College on May 9.

Washington has its hires in place now, beginning in the front office with MacLellan, who Caps president Dick Patrick said was chosen from a field of 15. Behind the bench is Trotz, the former Nashville Predators coach who was only candidate the team interviewed, according to MacLellan and Leonsis.

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