It looks like the New York Islanders have their sights set on a new head coach. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the club is close to hiring Barry Trotz to the position.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1009832740785655808
Trotz resigned from the Washington Capitals on Monday, fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the team.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1009833631680991234
This is a crucial off-season for the Islanders. After bringing in Lou Lamoriello to head up hockey operations last month, the longtime NHL executive took over Garth Snow’s duties as general manager and also announced the dismissal of head coach Doug Weight. The biggest question of all will be whether or not captain John Tavares re-signs or if he’ll test free agency come July 1.
Trotz entered the 2017-18 season with plenty of question marks about his future in Washington, and was even reported to be on the hot seat on more than one occasion over the course of this past campaign. The coaching market has boomed since Trotz signed on with Washington in 2014, with several of his peers inking deals paying upwards of $5 million per season over the past few years. Coming off a Stanley Cup victory meant this was the perfect time for the highly-touted bench boss to hit the open market.
Trotz, 55, brings almost two decades’ worth of NHL head coaching experience to the Islanders — 15 seasons with the Nashville Predators (557-479-60-100) followed by four with the Capitals (205 89-34).
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