Barry Trotz resigns as Capitals Head Coach
Less than two weeks after winning the Stanley Cup, Barry Trotz is stepping down as the head coach of the Washington Capitals.
“After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am officially announcing my resignation as Head Coach of the Washington Capitals. When I cam to Washington four years ago we had one goal in mind and that was to bring the Stanley Cup to the nation’s capital. We had an incredibly run this season culminating with our players and staff achieving our goal and sharing the excitement with our fans. I would like to thank Mr. Leonsis, Dick Patrick and Brian MacLellan for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great organization. I would also like to thank our players and staff who worked tirelessly every day to achieve our success.” — Barry Trotz
After four seasons behind the Captials’ bench, Trotz is hitting the free agent market. During his tenure in Washington, Trotz led the Capitals to an NHL-best record 205-89-24 (444 points) and four consecutive playoff appearances.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Trotz had a clause in his contract that if the Capitals won the Stanley Cup it would trigger a two-year extension with a $300K bump in salary—totalling $1.8 million in salary. Trotz’s stock is at an all-time high and will likely see his salary doubled at the very least as he hits the free agent market.
Now the Caps could certainly have made this messy by saying he owed them two years but my understanding is they will accept his resignation which makes him a free agent
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 18, 2018
The New York Islanders are currently the only team in the NHL without a head coach, so the speculation is already running rampant.
There’s one opening left (NYI). I wonder if any team would axe their coach to get Trotz now that he’s finally reached the promised land.
(It so, it won’t be the Flyers, by the way.) https://t.co/rRtlJ87VPG
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) June 18, 2018
The Islanders once the news broke about Trotz pic.twitter.com/9t5xI5dxDo
— Kevaney Martin (@KevaneyMartin) June 18, 2018
Barry Trotz has said he won't return as the coach of the Capitals … question, unless Tavares is in the bag would he really want to go to the Islanders?
— Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) June 18, 2018
Head coaches have seen a raise in pay in recent years, so it looks like Trotz will be the next bench boss to get a big raise in salary.