Winnipeg Jets set to interview Barry Trotz for vacant head coaching position

The Winnipeg Jets coaching search is underway and a familiar face is the first to interview.

Daupin, Man. native Barry Trotz is set to interview for the Jets’ vacant head coaching role, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli confirmed Tuesday.

Trotz, 59, was dismissed as head coach of the New York Islanders after spending four years with the team.

He amassed a 152-102-34 record there, making playoffs in three out of the four years, including back-to-back final four appearances in 2020 and 2021. This past year was the first a team he coached that missed the playoffs since 2013-14, his final year with the Nashville Predators.

Trotz has had a long and successful career in the NHL, ranking third in wins behind only Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville. His best season coaching was hands down the 2017-18 season, where he led the Washington Capitals to a 49-26-7 record and the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.

Growing up in Manitoba, Trotz played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Regina Pats, before spending a year captaining the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings in 1982-83. After one year at the University of Manitoba, he transitioned right into coaching. An assistant coach at the university in 1984-85, he joined the aforementioned Kings as general manager and head coach, where he spent two years.

His coaching repertoire spans nearly 30 years, and it’s hard not to imagine a fit between Trotz and the Jets.