Washington Capitals: Top 3 head coaching candidates
The Washington Capitals have fired Todd Reirden as their head coach. Here are three candidates they should take a long look at.
The Washington Capitals have fired Todd Reirden after a second straight first-round exit. This is according to Elliotte Friedman. Later, the team confirmed it. Reirden was promoted from associate head coach when the Capitals decided to part ways with Barry Trotz. They were hoping he would be his heir apparent, but it’s clear that’s not the case.
This starts what could be an offseason of change for the Capitals. After two straight first-round exits following their 2018 Stanley Cup run, it’s clear they need to revamp their roster to become Stanley Cup contenders again.
The Capitals went 89-46-16 during the regular season under Reirden, which is pretty good. But obviously, the regular season isn’t as meaningful as the postseason for teams like the Capitals. In consecutive seasons, Reirden was outcoached and didn’t have his guys ready to win in elimination games.
Whoever they hire will be tasked with helping to turn around a very talented team that’s quickly getting older, but could have some younger players inserted in the lineup. It’s a very luxurious job as far as head coaching jobs are concerned. So let’s take a look at three candidates the Washington Capitals should consider.
3. Lane Lambert
Lane Lambert is currently a part of Barry Trotz’s staff with the New York Islanders, serving as the associate head coach. He was an assistant coach with the Capitals from 2014-15 through 2017-18. Lambert is very highly thought of around the league, as several teams have reportedly tried to interview him for coaching jobs.
If the Capitals want someone the players are familiar with, Lambert would be a perfect choice. He’s served his time as an assistant coach and as an associate head coach. Lambert has some experience as a head coach, serving as the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals from 2007 to 2011. He also coached in the WHL from 2003 to 2005.
Lambert loves his job with the Islanders, but if there’s one job he’d probably leave it for, it would have to be the one in Washington. The Capitals have a history of hiring less experienced coaches. If this history repeats itself, don’t be surprised if Lambert comes back to Washington.
2. Gerard Gallant
Gerard Gallant was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights rather abruptly in January. He got the most out of an expansion team and helped take them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, where the Capitals beat them in five games.
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After Reirden, the Washington Capitals would probably prefer to hire a veteran head coach. Gallant fits that bill perfectly. He got his start with the Columbus Blue Jackets, replacing Doug MacLean as their head coach in 2004. Gallant coached them until 2006, when he was fired after a slow start to the 2006-07 season.
Following his stint with the Blue Jackets, Gallant joined the New York Islanders as an assistant coach. He got back into the head coaching business with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL in 2009 and stayed with them until 2012, when the Montreal Canadiens hired him as an assistant coach. In 2014, he became the head coach of the Florida Panthers, where he coached until 2016, when he was relieved of his duties.
Gallant is the veteran voice the Capitals need to get back on track. The Capitals should be a little bit suspicious about his abrupt departure from the Golden Knights because something seems a little bit odd there. But assuming nothing went wrong there, Gallant would be a terrific hire for the Capitals.
1. Peter Laviolette
The best coach for the Washington Capitals right now could be Peter Laviolette. He’s a veteran head coach who has been in the league for a very long time. Laviolette is perhaps best known as the guy who took the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators to the Stanley Cup Final. He won it with the Hurricanes in 2006.
Anyone who has had Laviolette as a coach will tell you he gets immediate results. Every team he’s been hired by improved quite a bit in their first year and saw that improvement stick for at least one more year, and in some cases, two or three more years. This excludes his time with the New York Islanders.
Right now, the Capitals need a coach who’s going to get them back to being Stanley Cup contenders. They need someone who’s going to milk every last drop they can out of the Caps core. I think Laviolette is the best candidate for that reason.
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Does Laviolette have his issues? Sure. But he’s the least flawed of the major head-coaching candidates who are available. Like Gallant, Laviolette might be waiting for the head coaching job in Seattle. That’s a pretty juicy opportunity. But one has to think if the Capitals expressed interest in him, it would be a very hard offer to turn down.