The Capitals introduce new GM Chris Patrick, who has been with the team for years

A decade later, he was ready — 100 percent, Patrick said at his introductory press conference Tuesday. Patrick was named the seventh general manager in Capitals history a day earlier, taking over from MacLellan, who remains president of hockey operations but hands the day-to-day reins to Patrick.

Patrick, 48, takes over the position after a season working hand-in-hand with MacLellan as assistant general manager, taking on increasing responsibilities with the Capitals and spending more time traveling with the team. Patrick’s previous role as assistant general manager meant he spent most of his time with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears, running the professional scouting team, which gave him less of a presence in Washington — but that began to change last year as MacLellan’s succession plan was put into action.

MacLellan added president of hockey operations to his title last season while Patrick was simultaneously promoted to assistant GM, laying the groundwork for the transition that was made official this week.

“He’s developed his skills. I’ve been a big part of watching him grow and develop, from being a scout to what he’s doing lately, managing Hershey and managing our pro team,” MacLellan said. “(He) has great skills, has worked really hard to develop them, has a vast background in the game and has made sure he has the skills and the experience to get to where he is today. … I’ve seen that firsthand, built a friendship, a working relationship. There’s a lot of trust there. He’s been a big part of what we’ve accomplished over the last 10 years.”

Patrick, the son of Capitals chairman Dick Patrick, worked for years in finance after college – and after earning his MBA from Virginia – before starting his hockey career as a part-time scout. Over the last 16 seasons with the Capitals, he has risen steadily from scout to director of player personnel to assistant general manager to associate general manager and now general manager.

“When I got back into the game, I never had that as an end goal,” Patrick said. “I just wanted to be part of the team. I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to try to help the Caps win the Stanley Cup.”

When the Capitals won the 2018 Stanley Cup, Chris and Dick Patrick became the sixth and seventh members of the Patrick family to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Patrick will report to MacLellan, who will retain oversight of all hockey-related decisions, but the day-to-day responsibility for running the team rests with Patrick. As the Capitals reshaped their roster in recent weeks, Patrick worked in lockstep with MacLellan and the rest of the front office, making the decisions that have prepared Washington for the future.

Patrick and MacLellan described the work as a collaborative process, and they plan to keep it that way, although MacLellan will take on more of an advisory role with an eye on the bigger picture.

“We’ve worked hard over the last month to prepare for this and execute it,” MacLellan said. “I think the credit goes to our entire group.”

Patrick added: “Mac and I talk a lot about everything we do. Whether we’re sending a player down or bringing a player up, it’s no different with this current process. That’s how I envision things going forward. I’ll make the decisions and do some of the legwork, but it’s still the same process.”

MacLellan leaves his position as general manager with the third-highest winning percentage in NHL history among general managers with at least 500 games under their belt, and owner Ted Leonsis made it clear that he expects Patrick to continue that success.

“Chris still has a lot of work to do, but I’m not lowering the bar,” Leonsis said. “We expect that in 25 years, when the next administration changes, people will say they have achieved similar successes and results.”