Breaking: Washington Capitals hire Peter Laviolette, a perfect fit
Anthony Scultore
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The Washington Capitals were searching for a veteran head coach to replace Todd Reirden and landed the best one on the market. According to Darren Dreger, Peter Laviolette has signed a three year deal to coach the Caps.
Capitals fire coach after lackluster playoffs
The first head coach to be fired after not meeting expectations was Todd Reirden. The move was a bit stunning since the organization viewed Reirden as the next big thing in coaching and let Barry Trotz walk to the Islanders.
In a statement released by the Washington Capitals GM, Brian MacLellan it read:
“We have higher expectations for our team, and we felt a fresh approach in leadership was necessary,” said MacLellan. “We would like to thank Todd for all of his hard work and efforts with our organization. Todd has been a big part of our team for more than half a decade, including our Stanley Cup run in 2018, and we wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”
Reirden was the Caps assistant when they won the Cup under Barry Trotz. In his two seasons as the head coach he was 89-46-16 but lost his job due to his 4-8 playoff record.
Peter Laviolette the right man for the job
Peter Laviolette was fired by the Nashville Predators this season in January. He was easily considered the best coach not working in the game before today’s hire. At one point, he was the prime candidate for the NJ coaching job but the two sides could not work out the money and the Devils hired Lindy Ruff.
Peter Laviolette joins an offensive Caps teams with a career coaching record of 637 wins, 425 losses, 25 ties, and 123 OTL. For a team with veterans like Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom, Laviolette is the perfect fit.