Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

Yeah, I mean, I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

You know, I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

So, you know, I think this team is pretty balanced.

Like, all four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

And how difficult was it to move Connor?

Is it going to be pretty much the same, or do you expect maybe the minutes tick down a little bit because all these other guys that you signed are obviously going to have to be out there?

I think across the board, some of our guys might have a little bit less in terms of minutes than what they had last year.

I think some guys, we ran them pretty hard on a game-to-game basis just because we needed them out there.

We didn't have the depth that this team has.

I think this team is pretty balanced.

All four of our centers can make plays.

They can all defend.

and how difficult was it to, to move, uh, Connor?

How much did you two discuss that and, and what were his reactions to the team that is now built going into this year?

Yeah, I mean, I mean, before he left we talked.

It was hard, like he said, it was hard for him, you know, seeing John and Nick go at the deadline and, and kind of what that meant for the team and where we were from a, a competitive standpoint.

You know, the team made a great push.

It was, you know, a couple points from making the playoffs at the end of the day, but, um, you know, that's not what any of us want.

We want to be consistent, you know, top of the division, top of the conference.

Um, uh, so when we had some discussions he said, "You know, I, i- if I come back I'm, I'm, you know, I, I'm coming back, I want to be on a good team and, you know, are you guys gonna be looking to make i- improvements to the team?" Which we certainly were.

H- how do you best cater to his strengths, uh, while helping the team win?

How much did you two discuss that and what were his reactions to the team that is now built going into this year?

Yeah, I mean, before we left, we talked.

It was hard.

Like he said, it was hard for him, you know, seeing John and Nick go at the deadline and kind of what that meant for the team and where we were from a competitive standpoint.

You know, the team made a great push.

It was, you know, a couple of points from making the playoffs at the end of the day.

But, you know, that's not what any of us want.

How do you best cater to his strengths while helping the team win?

Um, can you just kind of walk us through the decision to include those guys in, in a couple of deals?

Yeah.

Well, well, Connor's a really good asset, right? Like, he's young.

He, he's coming on ...

You know, he's a, he's a restricted free agent with, with arb rights this summer, so you have some control on the contract.

And you know, I, I personally, and I told Connor this, too, I think he's gonna come back next year and have a great year.

He was obviously disappointed with how his, his points ended up on the end of the year, but I think he's gonna come back and have a really strong year next year.

How important was that to get done before you got to the business of adding players?

Um, can you just kind of walk us through the decision to include those guys in, in a couple of deals?

Yeah.

Well, well Connor's a really good asset, right? Like, he's young.

He, he's coming on ...

You know, he's a, he's a restricted free agent with, with Arbrites this summer so you have some control on the contract.

And you know, I, I personally, I told Connor this, too, I think he's gonna come back next year and have a great year.

He was obviously disappointed with how his, his points ended up on the end of the year, but I think he's gonna come back and have a really strong year next year.

How important was that to get done before you got to the business of adding players?

Well, do you remember the procedures for Ovi? Like, when Ovi s- broke Gretzky's record last year, like, what did he get to keep? What immediately got shuttled off to the Hall of Fame, do you remember?

Yeah, uh, again, this is, these are conversations that I, I tend to stay away from, um, b- just because, uh, I think there's people that are more capable than me a- and more, I think, the memorabilia aspect to them is, is, is really important.

But with Alex, uh, there, there's a whole different set of rules because he has his, um, you know, he, he has, uh, you know, a, a set of criteria that he wants for, for what he wants to keep from his career, um, be it sticks that he scores goals with, pucks that he scores goals with.

Um, so, so there was some, some negotiation and, and back and forth for all those goals leading up to it, but it was, um, it, it was very buttoned up and, and, and very well tracked, the pucks, the sticks, the gloves.

Um, our, our equipment staff did a great job of kind of on-the-fly tagging and, and barcoding everything as things happened so that we at least knew what the original equipment was, and then figured out who it's supposed to go to at what time, and who has the rights to it based on, on everything we've talked about.

So, um-

Uh, and correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I mean i- is it, it's just the case where like you know where the buck stops and there's no reason to bring it up? Or, uh, uh, are we, are we, um, are we wrong in thinking that there might be some GMs that'd like to see the format change? Like, what's the vibe in the room for playoff format?

Yeah, I mean, I think GMs are always trying to find ways to, to improve, you know, what, what they view, improve the game and, and the fan experience and, and, you know, help the business side as well.

So that close to the playoffs, how did you come to the decision to sell?

Yeah, we were four points, you know, in the standings, but, but at the time we had some teams behind us, had games in hand.

I think if you went by points percentage or win percentage, we were, we were further back than, than what a four point out would have, would have indicated.

But yeah, I mean, it was hard coming, coming out of the Olympic break and the Olympic trade freeze.

You know, I think we were, we were looking at a couple of different paths and one would have been just kind of hold firm with what we had and, um and I was hoping we could we could win a couple games and start to start to make up some ground in the playoffs but we didn't get a lot of scoreboard help either um so you know I you know I think we look to maybe do I would say more strategic moves it wasn't a full it wasn't a full sell I mean there's definitely some other guys we could have moved we had a lot of interest in that we decided to hold on to because we didn't want to you know send that message to the team to us even though we know it's you know, a longer shot right now with where we are.

We still think we have a good enough team to make and compete in the playoffs.

But, you know, we saw some things maybe, especially as it pertained to Nick Dowd, where we might have had to come to a tough decision in the summertime with him and, You know, it's a lot harder to move bodies around the summertime, especially as you get closer to the draft.

How close do you think this team, this roster heading into for the rest of this year, then in the next year is close to being back to competing at the highest levels again?

Now, I'm a big proponent of therapy, so I wanna know like why, why didn't therapy resonate with you?

I feel like I'm too self-aware sometimes.

Like [laughs] I be in there talking and I'm like, "Yeah, this is something I already realize about myself.

I need to go work on that." But I feel like if I'ma be real with you, if I'm diving a little bit deeper, I think there is sometimes a barrier for me to actually speak about my issues.

It's way easier to write about them and make them, make it in song versus actually just sitting there with a person one on one talking about everything piece by piece.

Mm-hmm.

And I feel like when I was growing up, especially as a, you know, Black kid, you go into some of these churches.

I went to some of the church, the white church with my mama.

Um, I, I wanna ask you about a, uh, a couple of players that have, uh, that have really hit. Like, eh, the Washington Capitals had a tremendous off-season, that's not exactly a, a secret and I'm not just, you know, shining the apple because you're on here with me. Like, the, the evidence is there. Um, what, what I like about how this team has been constructed is, uh, I like that there's established players that have grown up in the Washington Capital system and there's also a good healthy mix of second chance players. You know, there's, whether it's Pierre-Luc Dubois, whether it's Dylan Strome, uh, whether it's, you know, Jakub Chytilov. Like, i- it's, it's a, it's a real nice balance, you know. We started this conversation talking about chemistry and, and the room and all that. Um, I guess it's a real tip to your pro scouts, more than anything else. We've always heard managers say, "You know what? Get them into our system and we'll unlock the, the brilliance that's always been in that player," and the Caps have been able to do that. Um, what goes into that? Like, what's the secret ingredient you think that's allowed this team to get to this spot right now?

Yeah. I think part of it is, is we got to a point where, you know, our, our core that had been so successful, um, you know, in t- uh, I guess the 2010s, right? The, up till winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. I mean, they're obviously, they were getting older and, and we w- we understood if we wanted to still be a competitive team, we're gonna have to find, um, some players kind of in their early to mid-20s because, you know, our amateur staff does a great job and, and, and w- we do a great job with our draft, but we, when you're picking 25, 26, 27 every year, like, y- you know, y- you're not always gonna end up with the, with the high-end guys. Um, and so we, you have to look for other ways to, to add those guys. And, and so it's just kind of being creative and, and keeping your ear there to the, you know, what's going on in the league and, um, and looking for those opportunities when they're there because e- even though it maybe doesn't seem like it, tho- those opportunities are potentially there more, more than you realize, for a guy like a Dylan Strome or a Pierre-Luc Dubois who, y- you know, you don't always think guys of that caliber will be available but for whatever reasons, uh, they are, and so when they are, you kind of have to jump on it. And, and I also give a lot of credit to, uh, to the group we have here in the locker room, our leadership group, um, Alex, John, Tom, you know, Nick Dowd. Um, you know, they, they've done a really good job bringing these new players in over the last few years and making them feel comfortable, making them feel part of the group, uh, getting them up to speed quickly, especially this summer with as many new bodies as we brought in. Like, i- it was right from the start of camp you could see that everybody felt comfortable and happy to be here and, and were working towards the same goal. And, and to me when you have a group of guys like that in a locker room, it's, that's a huge thing to be able to say, "Hey, I know for whatever reason it's not working for this guy and his current team," but (laughs) kind of like you were saying where managers say, "We'll get him into our system, it'll work," and that's kind of our thought-

(laughs) All right. Uh, a couple of things, and listen, I, I know you're busy. I, I appreciate the generosity of your time. Um, and I do wanna ask you about your family here in a couple of seconds. But first, you mentioned Spencer Carbery, who's... Like, I'll just speak from a, from a media point of view. I mean, he's a gift. I mean, he's, he's a, he's, he's, uh, uh... He, he's a great communicator. Um, always, you always learn something when you talk to, to Spencer Carbery. I know when you guys, uh, brought him aboard, there were other teams very much, um, trying to hire Spencer Carbery. Um, just a, just a wide brush thought, and, you know, the floor is yours. Um, what was... 'Cause I know you were in- integral in, in bringing him over to Washington. What was it that you saw in Spencer Carbery? I know he had been there previously in Hershey, but, like, what did you see, um, uh, of him at the NHL level that, that led you guys to believe that he was the right guy for the Caps?

Yeah, I mean... Yeah, obviously the relationship helped, um, knowing him from Hershey and even, uh, in South Carolina where he started. Um, you know, I think the thing that's always impressed me about, uh, Carbs is, is he's a really good communicator, which I think, um, is, uh, you know, probably the number one attribute you have to have now as an NHL coach. You have to be able to communicate. You have to be able to connect with the players. You have to be able to hold them accountable, but also be able to help instruct and, and, you know, sit down with them and, and talk about what they need to do better and what they're doing well. And, and he does all that on a daily basis. Um, you, you won't find a harder worker. E- every coach in this league, the, the, the hours these guys keep are, are astronomical. And, and he's right up there with, with all of 'em. Um, and, uh, and yeah, I mean, I just... I think he's a high character guy. I think... I remember reflecting after, after we hired him in Hershey and, and, you know, I didn't know how he would do as a head coach at the professional level. And, and then you see a few months in how well he's doing and, and, you know, it just kinda reinforced to me, like, when you have a guy that y- that you know is a high character, hardworking guy, it's, it's, um, y- you know, y- you're taking a lot less risk on when you make that decision. So, I, I'm... For me, those attributes are all kinda... He's so strong in a- in all those areas that, um... A big, huge, big reason why he's having so much success.

(smacks lips) Um, I, I wanna ask you about a, uh, a couple of players that have, uh, that have really hit, like, uh, the Washington Capitals had a tremendous off season, that's not exactly a, a secret and I'm not just, you know, shining the apple 'cause you're on here with me, like, the, the evidence is there. Um, what, what I like about how this team has been constructed is, uh, I, I like that there's established players that have grown up in the Washington Capital system and there's also a good healthy mix of second chance players. You know, there's... whether it's Pierre-Luc Dubois, whether it's Dylan Strome, uh, whether it's, you know, Jacob Chychrun, like, it's, it's a, it's a real nice balance, you know? We started this conversation talking about chemistry and, and the room and all that, um, I guess it's a real tip to your pro scouts more than anything else, we've always heard managers say, "You know what? Get them into our system and we'll unlock the, the brilliance that's always been in that player," and the Caps have been able to do that. Um, what goes into that? Like, what's the secret ingredient you think that's allowed this team to get to this spot right now?

Yeah. I think part of it is, is we got to a point where, you know, our, our core that had been so successful, um, you know, in t- t- the... I guess, the 2010s, right, the up to winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, I mean, they're obviously... they're getting older and, and we, we understood if we wanna still be a competitive team, we're gonna have to find, um, some players kind of in their early to mid-20s because, you know, our amateur staff does a great job and, and, and w- we do a great job with our draft, but we... when you're picking 25, 26, 27 every year, like, you know, you're not always gonna end up with the, with the high-end guys, um, and so you have to look for other ways to, to add those guys. And, and so it's just kind of being creative and, and keeping your ear there to the, you know, what's going on in the league and, um, and looking for those opportunities when they're there because even though it maybe doesn't seem like it, tho- those opportunities are potentially there more, more than you realize for a guy like a Dylan Strome or a Pierre-Luc Dubois who, you know, you don't always think guys of that caliber will be available, but for whatever reasons, uh, they are, and so when they are, you kind of have to jump on it and, and I also give a lot of credit to, to the group we have here in the locker room, our leadership group, um, Alex, John, Tom, you know, Nick Dowd, um, you know, they've, they've done a really good job-... bringing these new players in over the last few years and making them feel comfortable, making them feel part of the group, uh, getting them up to speed quickly. Especially this summer with as many new bodies as we brought in. Like, it was right from the start of camp you could see that everybody felt comfortable and happy to be here and, and w- working towards the same goal. And, and to me when you have a group of guys like that in the locker room, it's, that's a huge thing to be able to say, "Hey, I know for whatever reason it's not working for this guy and his current team," but (laughs) kind of like you were saying-

(laughs) All right. Uh, a couple of things, and listen, I, I know you're busy, I, I appreciate the generosity of your time. Um, and I do wanna ask you about your family here in a couple of seconds. But first, you mentioned Spencer Carbery who's, like I'll just speak from a, from a media point of view. I mean, he's a gift. I mean, he's, he's, he's, he's, uh, uh, he's a great communicator, um, always, you always learn something when you talk to, to Spencer Carbery. I know when you guys, uh, brought him aboard, there were other teams very much, um, trying to hire Spencer Carbery. Um, just a, just a wide brush thought, you know, the floor is yours. Um, what was it, because I know you were in- integral in, in bringing him over to Washington. What was it that you saw in Spencer Carbery? I know he had been there previously in Hershey, but like what did you see him, uh, of him at the NHL level that, that led you guys to believe that he was the right guy for the Caps?

Yeah, I mean, yeah, obviously the relationship helped, um, knowing him from Hershey and even, uh, in South Carolina where he started. Um, you know, I think the thing that's always impressed me about, uh, Carbs is, is he's a really good communicator, which I think, um, is, uh, you know, probably the number one attribute you have to have now as an NHL coach. You have to be able to communicate, you have to be able to connect with the players, you have to be able to hold them accountable, but also be able to help instruct and, and, you know, sit down with them and, and talk about what they need to do better and what they're doing well. And, and he does all that on a daily basis. Um, you, you won't find a harder worker. Ev- every coach in this league, the, the, the hours these guys keep are, are astronomical. And, and he's right up there with, with all of them. Um, and, uh, and yeah, man, I just, I think he's a high character guy. I think... I remember reflecting after, after we hired him in Hershey and, and, you know, I didn't know how he would do as a head coach at the professional level and, and then you see a few months in how well he's doing. And, and, you know, it just kind of reinforced to me like when you have a guy that you, that you know is a high character, hardworking guy, it's, it's, um, you know, you're, you're taking a lot less risk on when you make that decision. So, uh, I mean, for me, those attributes are all kind of... He- he's so strong in all, in all those areas that, um, big hu- big reason why he's having so much success.