I would too. But promoting Mann is such a Caps move
Penguins have twice promoted their AHL coaches in recent memory. Both times they won the Cup that same season.
Promoting the AHL coach also proved productive for the capitals when they brought up Boudreau.
To me, it's actually a smart move. I don't think trotz is going to get us over the hump in the playoffs. And now I am seeing signs that the players are already tuning him out early in this regular season. They look flat and uninspired. Their offense is atrocious. They have stopped hitting. Players are underperforming all through the roster.
Yes, they currently have a winning record, but so did the penguins when they fired Therrien. When the Penguins fired Johnston last year, their record across two seasons with him was 58-37-15. Yes, it was a winning record, but management felt they had a championship contender team, and he was not coming close to getting the best out of them. Management made the judgment sooner rather than later that he wasn't going to get the team where it needed to be.
Hindsight is of course always 20/20. But the fact remains that promoting the AHL coach from within the organization is often a very shrewd move. Among other things, these coaches know the personnel well, especially the younger guys.
The capitals have zero jump or zip or fire right now. Maybe they will recover it, who knows? But the vibe of the team I am watching right now reminds me of the latter days of the tenures of both Boudreau and Oates. Seriously uninspired, from Ovie on down.