Unsurprisingly, after capping off an embarrassing playoff series by getting shut out, Head Coach Todd Reirden was fired. Seeing as it is nearly a given that Braden Holtby will move on, 2019-20 was widely seen as the last run with the 2018 Stanley Cup roster largely in place. Thus, with Reirden failing to capitalize on that momentum and guide the team to at least the second round, and with significant roster overhaul on the horizon, it was only logical to officially move in another direction at bench boss.
The question then becomes who next? Before answering that, Seattle will have the pick of the litter. Though it is hard to envision a scenario in which the Capitals are not the second best destination, the Kraken will present a unique situation for a veteran coach to help shape a roster in his image. Therefore, the Capitals coaching pool will almost assuredly be three of the following four:
*Peter Laviolette
*Gerard Gallant
*Mike Babcock
*Bruce Boudreau
Two Cup winners, one Cup loser, and one guy who failed to push to the next level everywhere he went. Of the four, this blog would vastly prefer Laviolette or Gallant, as Babcock would probably badly misuse some of the Capitals talent (Tom Wilson, namely), and we have seen where the Boudreau train takes us, and it always comes up short.
Laviolette is a master tactician, establishing a solid system everywhere he has coached, including leading each of his last three teams to the Stanley Cup (winning in Carolina). He seems to favor a more east-west game than is currently in vogue, but so does Barry Trotz, and this heavy, hard-hitting roster is built more for this style of play.
Gallant, on the other hand, after being treated like absolute dogshit by a dogshit Florida Panthers franchise, is an incredible motivator and unifier. He brought together a team of [highly talented] castoffs and marched them to the Stanley Cup (where they lost to your favorite squad). He forged an identity from this ragtag bunch and far exceeded expectations. Things unraveled this season - this blogger does not watch enough Knights games to opine - but he was foundational in establishing the team's respectability and charting a path forward. This latter point is why we think he will end up in Seattle.
Whichever coach Seattle signs, the Capitals should be left with an amazing, Hall of Fame caliber coach with much of his career ahead of him.
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