Confirmed with Link: Update: 9/15 | Capitals Relieve Todd Reirden of Coaching Duties | Hire Laviolette as new HC

[txpd]

Babcock lost respect with all the NHL, so I don't think any team will hire him.

Babcock has 2 more seasons at $6.25m per left on his contract. The Caps arent going to hire him

 

[tenken00]

Would be a crazy story if Bruce comes back and wins a cup with Ovechkin and Backstrom.

That's like a fairy tale ending lol.

 

[kicksavedave]

It’s 1 pm day after and Reirden hasn’t been fired yet???

Unless you're new to the Caps, you'd know that Ted doesn't do anything rash and hasty. He'll take his time, talk to a lot of people, gather a lot of info, then who the f*** knows what will happen next????

 

[hb12xchamps]

Unless you're new to the Caps, you'd know that Ted doesn't do anything rash and hasty. He'll take his time, talk to a lot of people, gather a lot of info, then who the f*** knows what will happen next????

Hope everyone forgets about it during the offseason until the other big name coaches are snatched up

 

[g00n]

Unless you're new to the Caps, you'd know that Ted doesn't do anything rash and hasty. He'll take his time, talk to a lot of people, gather a lot of info, then who the f*** knows what will happen next????

This. Ted is very reluctant to fire anyone. It's very possible TR will get another full season that's more "normal" (whenever that is) before a move is made.

Still, there have been obvious problems with the team for months, even before the pandemic. So it's anyone's guess as to how much the unique playoffs will factor into the decision.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Babcock has 2 more seasons at $6.25m per left on his contract. The Caps arent going to hire him

By NHL rules, if Babcock were hired by another team, those 2 remaining years on his old contract become voided. I can tell you right now, no team is gonna hire Babcock again. He coached himself out of the league!

 

[kicksavedave]

This. Ted is very reluctant to fire anyone. It's very possible TR will get another full season that's more "normal" (whenever that is) before a move is made.

Still, there have been obvious problems with the team for months, even before the pandemic. So it's anyone's guess as to how much the unique playoffs will factor into the decision.

Yep. It would be easy to make "unique playoffs situation" into an excuse, and I could see TR lobbying with that to Ted/GMBM. But its bunk. All the teams had equal shots, equal time to prep, and played on the same ice. If the Caps had not also struggled for the last half of the RS, it could be a little more believable, but its just not.

The team basically quit on Todd. Game 3 was when the Caps needed to respond, and they didn't. In Game 4 he took a time out and yelled at them once and they gave him 40 great minutes after that. Then they quit in full.

I know we all love to imagine we know what players and coaches are thinking... but if I had to guess what players are thinking right now its this: We hate this system and its boring playing it, so we don't play hard.

That's on the coach.

Maybe that message will make its way to Ted?

 

[Capsman]

Todd may end up becoming a great coach but it'll be tough for him to come back into that locker room next year. I think also, assuming they make the playoffs last year which is not a foregone conclusion given how they finished the year and how strong the Metro is, that there will certainly be some tension hanging over the team as they kickoff the postseason given their recent struggles.

I think there is clearly something there in Reirden that was intriguing to GMBM. I don't doubt that he was important in our cup run. And I don't doubt, like a Cassidy, that he will learn and ultimately become a good coach. But I feel like his shelf life expired here. The effort (or lack thereof), the rare ability to push the right buttons, what seems to me to have been poor oversight over the assistants, and especially damning that Kuzy interview. Am I the only one who listened to that and found my high from the game 4 win instantly deflated? He basically threw Reirden under the bus and said they threw away structure and just had fun. I thought that looked bad for both Reirden AND Kuzy, almost like Kuzy doesn't have the highest hockey IQ. I did not feel that NY was as defensively aggressive after Kuzy's goal; the reason we were able to move the puck better was the disappearance of puck pressure.

 

[Calicaps]

That was the point where I was 100% done with the guy. To me it showed a lot about his character.

I have to agree with this. So disrespectful. I've given Rierden a lot of benefit of the doubt, and I have stated my issues with Barry plenty, but Trotz was universally hailed as just a great human being, so whatever TR's issue is, it's almost surely his own. Just an awful look.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

How long did it take Ted to fire Oates?

 

[g00n]

How long did it take Ted to fire Oates?

About 2 weeks.

 

[tenken00]

Yep. It would be easy to make "unique playoffs situation" into an excuse, and I could see TR lobbying with that to Ted/GMBM. But its bunk. All the teams had equal shots, equal time to prep, and played on the same ice. If the Caps had not also struggled for the last half of the RS, it could be a little more believable, but its just not.

The team basically quit on Todd. Game 3 was when the Caps needed to respond, and they didn't. In Game 4 he took a time out and yelled at them once and they gave him 40 great minutes after that. Then they quit in full.

I know we all love to imagine we know what players and coaches are thinking... but if I had to guess what players are thinking right now its this: We hate this system and its boring playing it, so we don't play hard.

That's on the coach.

Maybe that message will make its way to Ted?

Those "whispers" that Emily Kaplan had heard and mentioned right before the series even started about how the players have tuned out Reirden certainly seems pretty alarmingly accurate now that you look at things in hindsight.

 

[SherVaughn30]

About 2 weeks.

That is the time period after a playoff exit, once exit interviews for players and coaches are done with.

 

[Melkor]

I'm really all in on a Babcock idea. He would be a spot on choice for this group. He likes experienced, veteran teams that lean more on a heavy style and he's perfect for building the structure of their game and get the discipline back in place because this team seems to not give a f***. Hard pass on Gallant and Laviolett. Lavi ship had sailed many moons ago.

 

[txpd]

By NHL rules, if Babcock were hired by another team, those 2 remaining years on his old contract become voided. I can tell you right now, no team is gonna hire Babcock again. He coached himself out of the league!

Yea, but he got more security than any NHL coach

 

[BallardEra]

I'm really all in on a Babcock idea. He would be a spot on choice for this group. He likes experienced, veteran teams that lean more on a heavy style and he's perfect for building the structure of their game and get the discipline back in place because this team seems to not give a f***. Hard pass on Gallant and Laviolett. Lavi ship had sailed many moons ago.

Don't know man. After seeing what he did here in Toronto and some of his antics, I want nothing to do with Babcock.

 

[g00n]

That is the time period after a playoff exit, once exit interviews for players and coaches are done with.

Probably. When Oates was fired it was April and they'd missed the playoffs.

 

[txpd]

2 things.

1. We know from their track record that this team has needed 20+ regular season games to it happens every season that they come from behind to get the division lead. I can honestly say that this layoff and rerack doesnt really fit the them.

2. There are leaders and veterans in that room that the clock is ticking on. I have a hard time believing those guy flushed one of their few remaining years because they quit on their coach.

I think its likely they get a new coach but i think these are legit points to consider

 

[txpd]

Probably. When Oates was fired it was April and they'd missed the playoffs.

April 26th

 

[Melkor]

Don't know man. After seeing what he did here in Toronto and some of his antics, I want nothing to do with Babcock.

Toronto is a circus of a city in regards of playing and coaching there, that's for sure. Everybody eventually gets shit on over there, everybody gets uncoachable, a diva, a psycho and all kinds of pieces of shit and scapegoats. From Kessel to Nylander to Babcock to Andersen and on and on and on. Looking forward to the day when Matthews gets sick off all your media's bullshit and leaves for a healthier environment. So I really don't buy this mob trashing of Babcock for something he told Marner to do or to say. I personally don't give a shit if he makes Kuzy run around the rink completely naked if it helps him to finally awake and be held accountable on the ice. This team has become too complacent and needs to be put in check or destroyed in pieces for good. This playoffs was even more embarrassing than when they got killed by the rangers in 2013 like 5-0 or 6-0 in game 7.

One thing I always put first when it comes to evaluating coaches is their body of work. Not the hysteria of those idiots that call themselves as reporters these days. Babcock has been a bench boss for like two decades and found success with Ducks and Wings and whatever they say about him in Toronto they have failed to make the playoffs without him. Look at Tortorella, that man got buried after his Vancouver stint and rose from the ashes when given a chance.

 

[HeyMattyB]

I'm really all in on a Babcock idea. He would be a spot on choice for this group. He likes experienced, veteran teams that lean more on a heavy style and he's perfect for building the structure of their game and get the discipline back in place because this team seems to not give a f***. Hard pass on Gallant and Laviolett. Lavi ship had sailed many moons ago.

YIKES.

 

[Corby78]

That is the time period after a playoff exit, once exit interviews for players and coaches are done with.

this but I think it’s needed. Ovie/backy/holtby sitting one on one and telling leadership what they feel about TR will be a heavy weighted opinion.

 

[kmart]

I think there is clearly something there in Reirden that was intriguing to GMBM. I don't doubt that he was important in our cup run.

saving money was that intriguing part, dont kid yourself. its easy to say after a cuprun that every one who was part of it was important. right now we have the luxury of retrospect, its crystal clear reirden was and is a passenger that rode on the back of star players. reirden was down for the count last year after the sorry exit in round1. caps got a 2 game lead there and could not close it and this time they were behind a few games and could not recover. time is over.

there are a few open questions that need to be answered rather sooner than later.

as the caps continue to age, next year we will find them in the very same spot they were in a week ago.
facing a young energy (trotz like) team that hunts the puck down like the canes, jackets, knights, isles etc.

do you trust reirden this time for watever reasons to pull it off ? do you think his room/team will have confidence in him after he showed zero resolve ?

i rather not want him behind the bench once the playoffs start. thats why he must go right now AND everybody who keep him as hc has to go right now. mistakes have been made with his hiring and not correcting/admitting it only counts as selfpreservation at the cost of the capitals.

 

[Corby78]

2 things.

1. We know from their track record that this team has needed 20+ regular season games to it happens every season that they come from behind to get the division lead. I can honestly say that this layoff and rerack doesnt really fit the them.

2. There are leaders and veterans in that room that the clock is ticking on. I have a hard time believing those guy flushed one of their few remaining years because they quit on their coach.

I think its likely they get a new coach but i think these are legit points to consider

I don’t see it as a “let’s quit because we hate TR”. I think they saw the system wasn’t working and got tired of going over the boards and paying a price for something that wouldn’t work.

 

[895]

2 things.

1. We know from their track record that this team has needed 20+ regular season games to it happens every season that they come from behind to get the division lead. I can honestly say that this layoff and rerack doesnt really fit the them.

2. There are leaders and veterans in that room that the clock is ticking on. I have a hard time believing those guy flushed one of their few remaining years because they quit on their coach.

I think its likely they get a new coach but i think these are legit points to consider

The caps were 12-2-3 in November and 19-3-5 in December. They got worse as the season went along, not better. You are making up narratives.