sensational season with the Foxes during the 2015/16

WASHINGTON -- Heres an audacious way to get a promotion: Tell the big boss what hes been doing wrong. Brian MacLellan did just that when he interviewed with owner Ted Leonsis for the Washington Capitals general manager job. "He led off with some of the things that I have to do to be a better owner," Leonsis said. "I thought that was very brave and very astute, because you dont want to hear things like that." MacLellans strategy helped him pull an upset. Leonsis was looking for a new direction and hadnt intended to promote from within after George McPhees contract wasnt renewed, but MacLellans candour helped him rise above the 15 or so candidates and land the job. "I didnt think I had anything to lose," MacLellan said. MacLellan has been with Washington for 13 seasons, including seven as assistant GM, but most of his work had been in scouting and he had rarely spoken to Leonsis. His message: When everyone in the organization is not on the same page, including the owner, the product on the ice suffers. Such was the case last season with McPhee and coach Adam Oates, and the result was a team that missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years despite 51 goals from Alex Ovechkin. "I think the important point I was trying to make is that I think the team feels when theres a disconnect," MacLellan said, "or (when) theres not a unified philosophy from ownership to manger to coach." MacLellan was introduced alongside Barry Trotz, the longtime Nashville Predators coach who replaces Oates. While MacLellan was one of many GM candidates, Trotz was the only coach the Capitals interviewed. His only hang-up was that he had to wait for a GM to get in place, and to make sure it was someone who shared a similar vision. "Its where I started," said Trotz, who coached the Capitals top minor league affiliate in the 1990s before spending 15 seasons with the Predators, "so I feels like I was coming home." Leonsis said he was keen to get someone with a solid track record after five consecutive McPhee hires who had no previous NHL head coaching experience. "We are not rebuilding the team," Leonsis said. "But we are going to refresh the team." Ovechkin has been forced to adjust to multiple offensive systems through several coaching changes in recent years. One of Trotzs priorities will be to sit down with the three-time league MVP and discuss the way forward. "My job as a coach is to find a way to allow Alex and the other players to reach their potential as a group, and be able to play together," Trotz said. "One of the very fundamental things, if you have a kindergarten, they give you your report card and they say, Do you play well with others? My job is to get everybody to play well with the others." Trotz downplayed his reputation as a defensive-minded coach, saying he didnt have the same firepower in Nashville that hell have in Washington. "I dont want to take anything away from the Capitals offensively. ... (They have) great power plays and great individuals that can put the puck in the net," Trotz said. "I didnt have that in Nashville. I had some real good players, but not enough up front, so we become a little more of a defensive team." Trotz said he doesnt see why the Capitals cant get back in the Stanley Cup mix right away, assuming they can forge the unified gameplan envisioned by MacLellan. "Theres enough ability here," Trotz said. "We just have to forge a little bit of an identity going forward." Custom Seattle Mariners Nike Jerseys . A 19-game winner with the New York Yankees in both 2006 and 2007, Wang spent most of this year at Triple-A for the Yankees and Blue Jays. The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 7. 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The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000.Which are the most credible Arsenal transfer rumours right now? Sky Sports has teamed up with Football Whispers to bring you the hottest transfer talk of the moment, as Arsene Wenger looks to improve his squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.Football Whispers have developed a unique algorithm to take all of the transfer rumours from across the globe and calculate the likelihood of them happening. They track transfer stories and give them a score out of 5.0, with the hottest Whispers closest to 5.0.The top three are:1. Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia) - 4.7 Shkodran Mustafi has been linked with a move to Arsenal after Per Mertesackers injury Valencia centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has fired his way into the top three of the Football Whispers list after it was revealed Arsenal are in talks to sign the 24-year-old, according to Sky Germany.It is understood that no offer for the 24-year-old Germany international centre-back has yet been made to the Spanish club.Mustafi has a release clause of £42.1m but Sky Germany understand that Arsenal may be able to sign the German for £25.3m plus a further £8.4m in add-ons.Wenger revealed he was on the hunt for a defender following the news Per Mertesacker has been ruled out for months with a knee injury,2. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) - 4.4 Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette continues to top the charts for Arsenal transfer rumours from Football Whispers As Arsenal continue their hunt for a frontman, Lyon forward Lacazette is again being linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium and is once again at the top of the Football Whispers list.The Frenchman has appeared on the verge of a move to the Premier League all summer, although the Ligue 1 club have categorically denied receiving any bids from the Gunners for their star man.With this transfer saga set to rumble on, could Lacazette be the man to support Olivier Giroud in Arsenals bid for Premier League glory?3. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) - 4.1 Mahrez lit up the Premier League with Leicester last season, but could he be moving elsewhere? NGolo Kante has already left Leicester City, but what will happen with his former team-mate Mahrez?The Algeria international has been attracting interest from across Europe after a sensational season with the Foxes during the 2015/16 campaign. Claudio Ranieri has an update on the future of Leicesters Riyad Mahrez He makes a strong third place showing in the Football Whispers charts after reports intensified that Wenger is ready to make a big money move for the winger - although Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri has urged Mahrez to stay at the Kingg Power.ddddddddddddRead our feature on whether Arsenal need Mahrez here. Hottest Arsenal Whispers - Friday July 29 Player Club FW rating (out of 5) Shkodran Mustafi Valencia 4.7 Alexandre Lacazette Lyon 4.4 Riyad Mahrez Leicester 4.1 Arda Turan Barcelona 2.6 Ashley Williams Swansea 2.5 Julian Draxler Wolfsburg 2.4 Mario Mandzukic Juventus 2.2 Raphael Varane Real Madrid 1.8 James Rodriguez Real Madrid 1.6 Edinson Cavani PSG 1.3 Mauro Icardi Inter Milan 1.3 Corentin Tolisso Lyon 1.1 Benedikt Howedes Schalke 1.0 Dont forget to follow the most up-to-date information around the clock with the Sky Sports Transfer Centre Also See: Transfer Centre Latest transfer news Paper Talk Arsenal fixtures ' ' '