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Has McPhee’s ‘adversarial relationship with player agents’ cost the Caps?

Washington Capitals Press Conference Introducing New Head Coach Dale Hunter

ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 28: Washington Capitals Vice President and General Manager George McPhee speaks to members of the media at Kettler Iceplex on November 28, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. McPhee announced that Dale Hunter will become the new head coach of the Washington Capitals after Bruce Boudreau was fired. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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The Capitals’ fall from one of the most dynamic teams in the NHL to, well, whatever it is they are today (not in the playoffs, for one) has been well-documented. But the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera has documented it particularly well here.

In a lengthy article titled “Washington Capitals’ problems began long before their playoff streak ended,” Carrera deftly recaps a lot of the stuff fans already knew about the Caps (they’ve changed systems a few times, captain Alex Ovechkin is a lightning rod for criticism, etc.), while also sharing some tidbits that aren’t quite so well-known.

For example, apparently Caps management isn’t the most popular among agents, and that’s affected their ability to attract players:

Even with persistent vacancies, the Capitals haven’t been able to find long-term solutions. According to multiple league sources, that can be attributed partly to what they describe as McPhee’s adversarial relationship with player agents, whose grievances include his refusal to communicate with them directly and limiting their postgame access to clients.

When a key free agent or a player with a no-trade clause — one who can name what teams he will play for — is available, the Capitals intentionally aren’t on the list, one NHL agent explained.

“It’s hostile,” another agent said. “Why would anyone encourage their client to play there when the organization intentionally makes it incredibly difficult to work with them?”

Yesterday, Caps owner Ted Leonsis wrote a blog post promising to “conduct a comprehensive review of what transpired this year.”

It’s been widely speculated that McPhee, as well as head coach Adam Oates, could be replaced.

Related: Halak’s agent ‘bewildered’ by Oates’ remarks prior to Blues game