Washington Capitals Close To Hiring Barry Trotz

As the Stanley Cup playoffs roar on, the Washington Capitals meanwhile are trying to fill the voids left after upper management decided it was in the organizations best interests to clean house. In April, the Capitals, who failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07, fired general manager George McPhee and head coach Adam Oates due in part to the lack of direction within the team. Washington has since moved forward and the apparent front runner for the head coaching position is former Nashville Predators bench coach Barry Trotz.

Trotz spent 16 seasons on the Predator sideline and was relieved of his duties in April because Nashville missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Trotz is extremely familiar with the Capitals after having served as the team’s part time scout in 1987 as well as the head coach of the Baltimore Bandits, a Washington AHL Affiliate, in 1992.

Trotz, 51, visited Washington on Tuesday to interview for owner Ted Leonsis and team president Dick Patrick. It’s been reported from several sources that if the talks between the Capitals and Trotz continue a deal should be reached by early this week. The intriguing part of the relationship will be Trotz’s ability to transition from coaching a team built on defense to coaching a team with enormous offensive firepower. As the days pass, however, the deal appears more likely that Barry Trotz will be the next Washington Capitals head coach.