The Washington Capitals have announced that head coach Barry Trotz is stepping down as head coach.
“Barry Trotz informed the organization today of his decision to resign as head coach of the Washington Capitals. We are obviously disappointed by Barry’s decision, but would like to thank Barry for all his efforts the past four years and for helping bring the Stanley Cup to Washington. Barry is a man of high character and integrity and we are grateful for his leadership and for all that he has done for our franchise,” a statement from the team said.
Trotz’s contract was set to expire on July 1 and no contract was in place for next season despite him leading the Caps to a Stanley Cup championship. However, reports are coming in that shows that might not have been the case.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1008785837985689600
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1008786044156764160
Barry Trotz had a clause in his contract where if he won the Stanley Cup he could accept a two-year extension with a $300k bump in salary. Obviously since he was only making $1.5M, low by today's NHL coach's standards, a $1.8-million salary doesn't cut it. So Trotz stepped down.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 18, 2018
While it is not official, Todd Reirden, who was promoted to associate head coach a few years ago, is likely to become the next head coach. Reirden was not permitted to interview for NHL head coaching vacancies in previous summers.
“After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am officially announcing my resignation as Head Coach of the Washington Capitals. When I came 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 incredible 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
Capitals General Manager Brain MacLellan is set to speak to the media at 6 pm.
