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

[Ridley Simon]

Lavi or Gallant (Lavi)

that is all

 

[Monsterrain]

Prefer gallant or lavi but if we get babcock, you guys have to admit hes better than having another season with this guy:

 

[John Price]

Why Babcock and the Caps could be a 'perfect marriage'

"There's a bit of a media beast in Toronto and some things I think get taken too far or aren't totally accurate," Johnston said. "This is how I view Mike Babcock's tenure in Toronto: he took over a team, they finished last in his first season, dead last in the league which was the plan. They were rebuilding. They drafted Auston Matthews. He then took a very young team to the playoffs the very next year and then the next two seasons after that the Leafs were fifth and sixth overall in the entire NHL in the regular season. They lost in the first round both times to Boston, but I see a guy who delivered on his job."
Johnston added, "I think that the way that [Babcock] likes to coach, he's very upfront, he's not afraid of a little confrontation. I think that works better with an older team who understand what he's doing and why he's doing it. I do see a great fit [in Washington]."

 

[g00n]

Why Babcock and the Caps could be a 'perfect marriage'

"There's a bit of a media beast in Toronto and some things I think get taken too far or aren't totally accurate," Johnston said. "This is how I view Mike Babcock's tenure in Toronto: he took over a team, they finished last in his first season, dead last in the league which was the plan. They were rebuilding. They drafted Auston Matthews. He then took a very young team to the playoffs the very next year and then the next two seasons after that the Leafs were fifth and sixth overall in the entire NHL in the regular season. They lost in the first round both times to Boston, but I see a guy who delivered on his job."
Johnston added, "I think that the way that [Babcock] likes to coach, he's very upfront, he's not afraid of a little confrontation. I think that works better with an older team who understand what he's doing and why he's doing it. I do see a great fit [in Washington]."

Counterpoint:

Washington Capitals: Staying far away from Mike Babcock

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen said, “He’s a terrible person, the worst I have ever met. He’s a bully who was attacking people… He would lay into people without any reason.”

My worst nightmare as a Capitals fan is seeing Alex Ovechkin play on another team. Imagine if Babcock came in there, laid out the law on the players, pissed off Ovechkin, made Ovechkin pissed off at management to the point where he doesn’t sign an extension and finishes his career elsewhere? Babcock would be a horrible hire on the backend of the great eight’s career.

One incident that stands at the top that has Red Wings fans still mad with him is when he kept Mike Modano at 1,499 career games by making him a healthy scratch. Imagine if Ovechkin or Backstrom got that same treatment.

 

[John Price]

 

[895]

I thought the Leafs are on the hook for his contract regardless. That forms the baseline minimum of what Babcock will make. So any salary the Caps pay Babcock is salary the Leafs don't have to pay. Why would the money be a problem? Surely Babcock isn't expecting a raise on what he made in Toronto?

 

[txpd]

I thought the Leafs are on the hook for his contract regardless. That forms the baseline minimum of what Babcock will make. So any salary the Caps pay Babcock is salary the Leafs don't have to pay. Why would the money be a problem? Surely Babcock isn't expecting a raise on what he made in Toronto?

Toronto is on the hook for 3 more years of Babcock. They also control his rights. They have every right to have him work out his contract on his sofa. For the Capitals to get permission to hire him, they will have to come to an agreement with Toronto to pay all or part of his salary. So, money is an issue.

 

[tenken00]

Curious tidbit from TEB in his Athletic mailbag (yes, you guys convinced me to hunker down and get a subscription):

So they did talk to Bruce in the beginning.

Caps mailbag: Coaching search, goaltending future and Alex Ovechkin's next deal

"Let me begin by saying the Caps are playing things close to the vest, as you’d expect them to. We do, however, know that Mike Babcock, Peter Laviolette and Gerard Gallant have interviewed for the job, as confirmed by our Pierre LeBrun. We also know that there was a conversation with Bruce Boudreau early in the process but the former Caps coach does not appear to be in the running, at least not at the moment, according to my sources.

Has MacLellan talked to others? Unclear. But we can surmise this much: He wants a big name coach."

 

[crazy8888]

Curious tidbit from TEB in his Athletic mailbag (yes, you guys convinced me to hunker down and get a subscription):

So they did talk to Bruce in the beginning.

Caps mailbag: Coaching search, goaltending future and Alex Ovechkin's next deal

"Let me begin by saying the Caps are playing things close to the vest, as you’d expect them to. We do, however, know that Mike Babcock, Peter Laviolette and Gerard Gallant have interviewed for the job, as confirmed by our Pierre LeBrun. We also know that there was a conversation with Bruce Boudreau early in the process but the former Caps coach does not appear to be in the running, at least not at the moment, according to my sources.

Has MacLellan talked to others? Unclear. But we can surmise this much: He wants a big name coach."

Call me crazy but i would love to have Bruce back

 

[895]

Toronto is on the hook for 3 more years of Babcock. They also control his rights. They have every right to have him work out his contract on his sofa. For the Capitals to get permission to hire him, they will have to come to an agreement with Toronto to pay all or part of his salary. So, money is an issue.

That's exactly my point? Why would money be an issue? Right now they are paying him for nothing. So any salary the Caps pay him is good for the leafs, less money for them to pay.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

That's exactly my point? Why would money be an issue? Right now they are paying him for nothing. So any salary the Caps pay him is good for the leafs, less money for them to pay.

TO could say, "We won't allow Babcock to coach the Caps unless you cover 100% (or even 90%) of our salary obligation for the remaining term (3 yrs) of his contract." He's at $6.25m, iirc, and the Caps (Ted) might balk at an $18m commitment. I guess if the Caps come in @ 100% salary, TO may have a legal right to say no but it wouldn't help their standing in league circles.

 

[895]

TO could say, "We won't allow Babcock to coach the Caps unless you cover 100% (or even 90%) of our salary obligation for the remaining term (3 yrs) of his contract." He's at $6.25m, iirc, and the Caps (Ted) might balk at an $18m commitment. I guess if the Caps come in @ 100% salary, TO may have a legal right to say no but it wouldn't help their standing in league circles.

Sure they could but that's information Japers has no way of knowing. Just trying to understand his logic.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

TO could say, "We won't allow Babcock to coach the Caps unless you cover 100% (or even 90%) of our salary obligation for the remaining term (3 yrs) of his contract." He's at $6.25m, iirc, and the Caps (Ted) might balk at an $18m commitment. I guess if the Caps come in @ 100% salary, TO may have a legal right to say no but it wouldn't help their standing in league circles.

They COULD say anything as a negotiating ploy, but it serves Toronto no purpose to take that as a final stance. Any money saved out of that $18 mil owed they will happily take. It certainly will not be all of it.

I could see a 4 year $16 mil deal with the Caps ultimately paying half.

 

[hb12xchamps]

They just need to do a second round of interviews (if they're doing that) and vetting and wrap this up. It seems they've narrowed their list down to 3 names. Get each guy's salary demands and start making decisions.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Bring Back Bruce

 

[John Price]

The team's issues were with defense

Why would you hire Bruce in that situation

Unless you mean Bruce Cassidy

 

[kicksavedave]

Toronto is on the hook for 3 more years of Babcock. They also control his rights. They have every right to have him work out his contract on his sofa. For the Capitals to get permission to hire him, they will have to come to an agreement with Toronto to pay all or part of his salary. So, money is an issue.

I don't think this is accurate, but I'm not 100%. I believe they control his rights if he resigned, like Trotz did, but if they fire him he's a UFA and can go anywhere he wants. They are on the hook to pay him their remaining salary, which is reduced by any amount the Caps might pay, but they have no control over that aspect of the situation.

I do not believe they can fire him and then stop him from working anywhere he wants. They can only stop him if he resigned.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[AZ Caps Fan]

What about Jeff Halpern as an idea for coach in the future? He doesn't fit the criteria of an experienced coach yet but at some point when he is ready, I would love to see the dc area native be given the opportunity.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Bring Back Bruce

As an assistant for the PP sure .

 

[Melkor]

As an assistant for the PP sure .

It wouldn't be as good as back when Bruce was the HC anyways because they don't have prime Mike Green and Semin anymore. Those two were deadly shooting options.

 

[Langway]

I do not believe they can fire him and then stop him from working anywhere he wants. They can only stop him if he resigned.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

My understanding is that Toronto both has to give permission for him to talk to other teams initially and also must reach an agreement with the hiring team concerning the remainder of his current contract. Salary could be an issue, not just with the first three years that would need to be negotiated from Toronto but beyond that. Does Toronto believe someone else is bound to hire him or has there been too much of a hit to his reputation? Toronto could help to some extent but you'd think they'd still be on the hook for at least half and then have to get into the $5M range thereafter.

Definitely agree that whoever they hire must be given a better defense to provide more structure to their game.

 

[Marshall]

It's the same situation as Trotz leaving the Caps, no? Once they are coaching a different team, the original team is no longer on the hook for the previous contract?

 

[tenken00]

I think since the Islanders were paying Trotz more than what he was owed from the Caps, the Caps were no longer on the hook.

If the Islanders were paying less, than it would be up to the Caps to fill whatever was the remaining amount for that year to make the Caps' contract whole - thus the need for a payment agreement between the two teams that Langway referred to.

 

[Langway]

The Trotz situation was very unique. He resigned and then I think there was a mutual termination of his contract to make him a free agent. In a typical firing situation the firing team would be on the hook for whatever money isn't fulfilled by the hiring team (if anything and this seems to be negotiated between the teams).

 

[Empty Goal Net]

I think since the Islanders were paying Trotz more than what he was owed from the Caps, the Caps were no longer on the hook.

If the Islanders were paying less, than it would be up to the Caps to fill whatever was the remaining amount for that year to make the Caps' contract whole - thus the need for a payment agreement between the two teams that Langway referred to.

Different situations. Caps allowed Trotz to resign and in essence tear up the contract that he had agreed to to coach the team for a specific salary. Hence, any agreement betw Trotz and the Isles was unaffected by the defunct contract w/ the Caps.
TML decided they didn't want Babcock to coach anymore. He's still due the salary since it was the team's decision to end his coaching assignment.