Washington Capitals should fire head coach Todd Reirden

After a second straight first-round exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s time for the Washington Capitals to part ways with Todd Reirden.

The Washington Capitals have taken two steps backward after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. Back then, the Capitals made the painful (and perhaps right) decision to walk away from Barry Trotz. Considering they were close to firing him in November, it’s understandable why they didn’t want to give him a long-term deal. Where the Capitals messed up, though, was by choosing Todd Reirden to replace him.

It wasn’t surprising the Capitals chose Reirden. After all, he was all but appointed the heir apparent and they didn’t grant anyone permission to interview him for head coaching jobs. Reirden was a critical part of the Capitals Stanley Cup run, helping coach the defense. He was a confidant of Trotz.

However, it’s time for the Capitals to admit they made a mistake with Reirden by parting ways with him. Last year, he had an excuse when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. They were without T.J. Oshie and their defense wasn’t the same after Michal Kempny suffered a serious injury in March. Also, the Hurricanes were really good.

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But this year, Reirden has no excuses. Sure, the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into the 2019-20 regular season. But that’s something every team had to deal with. And the New York Islanders did a far better job adjusting to things than the Capitals did. Part of this falls on the players, but ultimately, Reirden needs to be held accountable.

The Washington Capitals were a mess in Game 5. It seemed like they were done. They weren’t battling and Reirden didn’t do much to try to shake them awake. Again, the players should be held accountable for that. But so should Reirden.

Reirden might wind up being a good coach one day. Just look at Bruce Cassidy. To say he was an awful coach with the Capitals is an understatement. Cassidy flat out lost the team in 2003-04. There’s a good reason he had to wait over a decade for his next chance to be an NHL head coach.

But here’s the thing. The Capitals don’t have time to wait for Reirden to become a good coach. Their Stanley Cup window is shutting. Alex Ovechkin, despite his excellence, isn’t going to be an elite goal scorer forever. Father Time is undefeated. It’ll catch up to him eventually. Perhaps even soon. Nicklas Backstrom isn’t getting any younger either. Neither is Oshie.

The Capitals are built to win now. Reirden has gotten two chances to help the Caps win. He has failed both of those chances. What’s worse is Reirden got completely outcoached by Rod Brind’Amour last year and Barry Trotz this year. He’s clearly not the right coach for the Capitals, who would like to win another Stanley Cup in the Ovechkin era.

It’s not like Reirden has had to deal with serious changes either. Most of the roster that won the Stanley Cup is still intact. Maybe the roster needs to be shaken up. The Capitals would probably benefit from having some more young, hungry players in their lineup. But still, Reirden has proven he has issues with trusting young players.

There are several good replacements out there for Reirden. The two that jump out at me are Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette. You can bet at least one of them is waiting for the Seattle Kraken. That kind of opportunity to build a team in your image doesn’t happen too often. But both would probably be interested in coaching a veteran team like the Capitals.

The Washington Capitals should have replaced Trotz with a veteran head coach instead of a first-time head coach. They shouldn’t have risked wasting a single year of Ovechkin’s greatness because of their loyalty to an associate head coach. Reirden was General Manager Brian MacLellan‘s guy. MacLellan guessed wrong on his guy.

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Sometimes, it’s best to just admit you made a mistake with someone and move on. The past two seasons have proven the Washington Capitals made a mistake by hiring Reirden. They have a chance now to correct it by parting ways with him and bringing in a head coach who will help the Capitals remain Stanley Cup contenders.