Before the near-total implosion of the regional sports network model, Monumental Sports & Entertainment — the parent company of the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics — took control of its RSN partner.

“We viewed it as an opportunity to play offense,” Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at MSE, told Front Office Sports. “We were able to create a lot of efficiencies and consolidate our content programming efforts. But there’s no doubt that it was also a defensive measure, too.”

MSE’s acquisition of the 67% of Comcast-owned NBC Sports Washington it didn’t already own closed a year ago. As a result, the Capitals aren’t among a handful of stateside NHL teams — including those impacted by Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy — who don’t have to stress over local sports carriage as the regular season opens this week.