The Washington Post points out the consensus since Adam Oates was named Capitals’ coach on June 26 has been that he will create balance in the team’s style of play. He is expected to find a way to mix the best of Washington’s offensive talent with defensive responsibility, without sacrificing one for the other.

Oates himself described a team that would be aggressive and push the pace all while maintaining defense as a priority. Whether the systems and nature of a team under Oates’s direction will follow that template remains to be determined in the 2012-13 season — whenever it starts.

Troy Brouwer, who is spending the bulk of the offseason in Chicago, where he still has a house from his time as a Blackhawk, said he’s hopeful Oates can instill a more all-around game. While jump-starting the offense works toward that larger goal, Brouwer reiterated the importance of not losing the strides the Capitals made late last season under former coach Dale Hunter.

“Adam has a lot of good ideas on how to make sure a team is even keeled,” Brouwer said in a phone interview. “Dale was very defensive and we were taking that to the extreme, even if it’s not to that point it’s important that guys continue to pay attention to the details.

“I sure hope that our star players don’t throw everything we learned out the window and don’t focus solely on offense,” Brouwer continued. “We need those guys blocking shots, paying the price and getting back in the defensive zone too. Those are skills you can’t forget, those are things that make a difference for successful teams.”

Matt Hendricks, who resides in his native Minnesota during the offseason, said he’s eager to work with the Hall of Famer. Before the hiring was even official, Hendricks received a strong endorsement of Oates from fellow Minnesotan Zach Parise when the two played in a charity game together.

Parise “said he had an incredible time working with him and that he learned a lot,” Hendricks said in a phone interview this month. “That’s definitely a good and impressive thing to hear coming from Zach Parise.”