In a widely expected move, the Washington Capitals announced on Monday that they have hired Barry Trotz as their new head coach.
A Manitoba native, Trotz spent the last 15 seasons as the head coach of the Nashville Predators. The only head coach in Predators team history since the franchise debuted in the 1998-99 NHL season, Trotz led the Predators to seven postseason appearances, but the team never advanced past the second round. He was recently relieved of his duties after Nashville failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons. The Predators recently named Peter LaVoliette, another veteran head coach, as Trotz's successor in Nashville.
During his tenure in Nashville, Trotz coached almost 1,200 regular season games, amassing a record of 557 wins, 479 regulation losses, 60 ties (through the 2003-04 season) and 100 overtime losses. The Predators finished the 2013-14 season with a 38-32-12 record, a mere three points short of a Western Conference wildcard playoff berth.
Trotz takes over the reins in Washington from Adam Oates, whom the Capitals fired after only two seasons at the helm. The Caps also failed to make the playoffs this season after a disappointing fifth place finish in the Metropolitan Division. They did make the postseason in Oates's first season but were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round.
Trotz is hardly a stranger to the Washington Capitals' organization, having previously worked as one of the team's scouts. He also coached the Capitals' AHL affiliate to the Calder Cup trophy in 1994.
In a news release, Trotz said that the Capitals are "a great organization with a strong foundation and a tremendous fan base."
"I look forward to working with this group of talented players and the quality front office staff this team has assembled," he added.
Trotz will start his new NHL head coaching assignment under starkly different circumstances than he did when he began his prolonged stint in Nashville. Whereas the Predators were an expansion franchise requiring Trotz to basically build and develop talent from scratch, the Capitals are an established franchise with a stockpile of existing talent, anchored by forwards Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Nonetheless, the team has not played to its full potential, prompting ownership to make necessary organizational changes. The Capitals also fired long-time GM George McPhee prior to sacking Oates.
As an established and well-respected veteran coach, Trotz is considered by many hockey analysts and insiders as the ideal choice to take over as bench boss in Washington. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News tweeted that Trotz "was known for doing more with less in Nashville, which makes him an ideal fit for a Capitals team that's done less with more."
The Capitals also named Brian MacLellan as their new General Manager. MacLellan most recently served as assistant GM under McPhee.