The Washington Capitals will be looking for their fourth head coach in five years this summer, but the decision will fall into the hands of the future GM – whoever that may be. There are slew of potential candidates, and all the debating in the world isn’t really going to matter because it’s not our decision to make. We don’t know who the GM will be. We don’t know what direction he will want to take the Caps, whether it’s back to molding a team around Ovechkin or building a solid two-way core that will compliment the future head coach’s system. But for the sake of debate and speculation (because it’s fun) let’s take a look at who could be standing behind the bench going into the 2014-15 season.
Courtesy: Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Peter Laviolette (former Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers): Laviolette was one of the top coaches in the league for almost a decade. He won a Cup in Carolina in 2006, was the Assistant Coach for the U.S. in Sochi, and will coach the U.S. Team at the World Championships in May. Laviolette was fired by the Flyers after a poor start and should land a new job with an NHL soon. Carolina, I’m sure, would love to have ‘Lavy’ back if they decide to part ways with Kirk Muller. Laviolette’s style could be the best suited for the current Capitals lineup, but who knows what kind of team we’ll have come June 27th.
Barry Trotz (former Head Coach of the Nashville Predators): Trotz served as the longest tenured coach until he was let go by the Predators after missing the past two post seasons. Nashville was one of the top defensive teams in the league, and Trotz earned Jack Adams nominations as the League’s top coach. He has ties to Washington, coaching the Portland Pirates and Baltimore Skipjacks prior to Nashville. He’s highly respected and his experience, like that of Laviolette’s, could be vital in calming the ‘fractured’ Capitals locker room. Trotz could also help build and maintain the Capitals inconsistent, and mostly non-existent, defense, but how would Trotz fair with an actual offense with the likes of Ovechkin and Backstrom?
Phil Housley (Assistant Coach of the Nashville Predators): Housley was one of my favorite players growing up. He was also one of greatest scoring defenseman of all time. He was a successful coach in Minnesota High School hockey and made a name for himself coaching the U.S. at WJC’s in 2013. He’s most likely due for a shot at the NHL, and the Predators could look at him to succeed Barry Trotz. Housley also has ties to DC, as he spent 2 seasons here and helped the Caps to the Cup Final in 1997. Could he be the next Caps Alumni to try his hand at coaching? Probably not. He would be a wild card choice and the Caps will most likely go with a coach who has NHL experience and experience dealing with superstars. Perhaps Housley will wind up in Washington anyway if the Caps hire Trotz as coach.
Guy Boucher (Former Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning): Boucher took a broken Lightning team and turned them into a threat with a system that almost baffled the NHL. He was a coach on the rise, before an even more broken Lightning team played poorly and he was ultimately fired. He’s currently coaching in Switzerland and is waiting for his next shot at the NHL. He’s a no-nonsense guy, and kinda scary, which could be something the Caps need. Boucher is also a good communicator, and that is something the Caps DEFINITELY need. The only problem I would see though, is that Boucher is a one-on-one coach and likes to coach each player almost separately, which seems a lot like Oates’ micro-managing style that failed so miserably.
Mike Haviland (Head Coach of the Hershey Bears): Like Housley, Haviland has no NHL head coaching experience, but he was an assistant in Chicago during their 2010 Cup run. He almost had the job in 2012, but the Caps opted for Oates. Another problem is that Hershey hasn’t exactly been stellar lately, missing the playoffs this year. He would probably work well with the younger guys, but any coach coming into this locker room will have to demand the respect of the core first.
Jeff Blashill (Head Coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins): I know, another guy with no NHL coaching experience, but this one is different. Blashill was the assistant coach to Mike Babcock in Detroit – two other former assistants, Todd McLellan and Paul MacLean, have gone on to do quite well. Blashill helped the Griffins to the Calder Cup championship and is most likely ready for NHL action. His system is similar to Babcock’s, so his young players can jump into the Red Wings lineup and not miss a step – something we saw a lot of this year. He can help the Caps clog the neutral zone and build a more structured attack, instead of… well, whatever Oates was doing.
Courtesy: Zimbio
John Stevens (Assistant Coach of the Los Angeles Kings): Stevens has spent the last 4 seasons in L.A. molding their defense and penalty killing unit into one of the stingiest in the league. The Caps could certainly use someone like that. He was given permission last year to speak with NHL teams about coaching jobs, and could be called upon soon to implement his defensive style. He’s a very good coach and has the experience, but how his style would mesh with Ovechkin’s lack of defensive discipline could be a deterrent.
Not a bad list.
The Caps want someone to come in and control what has been an uncontrollable locker room; to bring two seperate teams back together. An experienced coach could do that. My vote, so far, is with Laviolette. He has the offensive style to compliment the Capitals scorers and can also help the Caps grind down other teams. If the Caps get out of line, he can walk into the room and put them in their place and not be afraid to do so.
As soon as the Capitals have a GM in place, and I’m expecting that to happen before June, that person will have to weigh his options wisely. The next coach will have to be a staple here for at least 5 seasons and make the Capitals earn an identity that isn’t the laughing stock in the league, because if it doesn’t work, the next step is trading away the greatest goal scorer in franchise history.
More to come…
