Marcus Johansson the Winger?

Yesterday morning, DC radio legend Elliot Segal, host of DC101′s Elliot in the Morning, brought Capitals General Manager George McPhee on the air to be interviewed on all things regarding the hiring of Adam Oates, the recent NHL Entry Draft, and his luck so far in the trade market. While discussing trades, the Mike Ribeiro trade specifically, another current Capitals player came up briefly – Marcus Johansson.

Discussing the positive effects of finally having a solid second-line center in Mike Ribeiro, Elliot suggested that Johansson now has more time to develop and isn’t just thrown into the role of the second-line center, or as was the case last season, the first-line center while Backstrom was sidelined due to a concussion. After Elliot said this, McPhee quickly shifted gears on his view on Johansson.

“Marcus plays really well on the wing with Nicky Backstrom,” McPhee said, “they’ve got some chemistry.”

McPhee then said, “you just never know who’s gonna work with who,” probably suggesting that he’s not definitely set on pairing Backstrom and Johansson on the same line. Though, his further comments might suggest that he’s just about the closest thing to being completely set on this line pairing idea.

“[Backstrom and Johnansson] seem to work well together so why not keep them together,” McPhee rhetorically questioned.

Though, McPhee didn’t totally shutdown the idea of sometimes having Johansson at center, saying “Marcus will get his time at center ice, we’ll have injuries, we’ll need different lineups for different teams.”

McPhee finished by agreeing with Elliot’s original suggestion that the acquisition does indeed give Johansson more time to develop. But oh wise one, McPhee, does it give him more time to develop into being a center or into being a solid winger with his fellow countryman Nicklas Backstrom? I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.

To listen to the full interview, click the link above, or click here. The bit about Johansson beings at the 9:04 mark. To skip ahead just to that part, click here.