Washington Capitals fire coach Todd Reirden, Peter Laviolette prime candidate
Anthony Scultore
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The first head coach to be fired after not meeting expectations is Todd Reirden of the Washington Capitals. The move is a bit stunning since the organization viewed Reirden as the next big thing in coaching and let Barry Trotz walk to the Islanders.
Washington Capitals fire coach
In a statement released by the Washington Capitals GM, Brian MacLellan he said:
“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 is a great veteran coach for a veteran club
Peter Laviolette was fired by the Nashville Predators this season in January. He is easily considered the best coach not working in the game at the moment. According to several reports, 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.
Now my question is simple, if Peter Laviolette and his career coaching record of 637 wins, 425 losses, 25 ties, and 123 OTL wasn’t available would the Caps have fired Reirden? My best guess is no, but Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom aren’t getting any younger and Laviolette is a perfect fit.