Will Trotz Be Fired? (poll added)

[hockeykicker]

Guys it's gonna be Rierden. There is a reason why they blocked him from interviewing anywhere. If Trotz is fired he will be coach

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

If it’s promotion from within, nothing really changes. But I pretty much expect it.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

They need someone who will be in their ****. Trotz's temperament was great following the Oates debacle but he's kind of like Bruce in that players like him and respect him and things are great when they're going great, but they don't seem to respond to him when he puts on his Accountability hat and he doesn't seem to inspire a ton of confidence when the deck is stacked against them.

Last guy who was “in their shit” was Hunter, who either didn’t last or who wouldn’t put up with this shit for long....depending on who you believe...

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Last guy who was “in their ****” was Hunter, who either didn’t last or who wouldn’t put up with this **** for long....depending on who you believe...

Hunter was too much, he was a punitive coach. Being punitive works in the short term but after a while it gets old and the players stop responding. This is what happened to Tortorella in NY and in Vancouver.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Hunter was too much, he was a punitive coach. Being punitive works in the short term but after a while it gets old and the players stop responding. This is what happened to Tortorella in NY and in Vancouver.

And it will happen to Torts again....that’s the type of coach he is.

Just sayin....an in your face guy might have the opposite effect of what we’re hoping for.

 

[twabby]

Clone Mike Sullivan and make him the Capitals coach. He's the perfect guy to hold players accountable and call them out for dumb stuff (told Malkin to shut the f*** up for whining about a penalty call) but at the same time treats his players fairly and gives his young guys room to make mistakes and grow.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Last guy who was “in their ****” was Hunter, who either didn’t last or who wouldn’t put up with this **** for long....depending on who you believe...

Yep, and he beat the defending Stanley Cup Champs with a rookie 3rd string goalie and took a dogshit roster to within one game of the ECF. Guys like Hunter have limited shelf lives on teams, but this roster also has a limited shelf life. Not saying I want to watch Hunter Hockey again but someone cut from that personality cloth is a must, in my opinion.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

And it will happen to Torts again....that’s the type of coach he is.

Just sayin....an in your face guy might have the opposite effect of what we’re hoping for.

Finding a new coach after Trotz will be difficult. There aren't any good, accomplished coaches on the market.

If the Sharks were to fire DeBoer, would you hire him?

 

[Langway]

They don't need an in-your-face guy just for the sake of it, though. That will wear out its welcome pretty quickly unless coupled with a very decisive, communicative understanding of what the right play is in a particular situation (beyond not making a glaring mistake). They don't need a softy or someone that will be deferential to their hot dog bullshit skilled players but they also don't need a maniac without a method that leads them to playing tight due to miscommunication/confusion. Hunter's lack of longer-term viability was pretty much based on his unwillingness to communicate effectively. A fiery type that can also clearly communicate objectively, mold a coherent identity and develop? Sign me up but it's not going to be easy to find. Reirden doesn't seem to have the personality and I'm not sure there's an experienced name coach currently available that checks every box.

Knowing ownership, though, they'd probably go for someone like Bylsma that won't rock the boat, maybe get marginally better results and still not be good enough.

 

[g00n]

Given his contract situation I would bet he lasts through the season and then is not re-signed. Who knows if they make the playoffs. I voted yes but really it's a coin flip.

I'll be interested to see how GMBM approaches hiring a coach. IIRC he wasn't the decision maker on the Trotz hiring.

The final year of a contract is the ideal time to make a mid-season switch especially if you're not sure about the guy and haven't given him an extension. And even more so if you're protecting someone already in the organization like...

Guys it's gonna be Rierden. There is a reason why they blocked him from interviewing anywhere. If Trotz is fired he will be coach

Yes this seems telling. The question is whether they were holding on to him in case they needed an interim coach for the end of the year or if they believe he's a long-term solution. Either way, you probably want to kick the tires for a few months before inking a big deal. That would mean doing the deed fairly soon.

 

[artilector]

Trotz is clearly a dead-end. But if the goal is still to "win now", I don't particularly see the point of firing him -- regardless of the coach, this team isn't a contender. Now, if the goal shifts to "develop young players", then ok, it would make sense to look for somebody who is great at that.

But it seems that the org might be fine with treading water. In this case, switching coaches now is kind of pointless -- ideally, you want a top coach and a fresh voice when the team has bottomed out/is on the cusp of taking off.

I'd make an exception if there was some truly genius coach available... but I don't think there is -- and anyway, the Caps probably wouldn't do things that way (meaning dump Trotz in order to replace him with a specific guy that became available).

 

[brachyrynchos]

If they plan on letting go of Trotz this summer, then someone in this organization better be doing some research and scouting for potential coaches, like, now.

 

[OV Rocks]

I think going in a complete opposite direction is what the team needs. Someone who lets stars loose and lets them play to their strengths. With Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Oshie, Vrana, and Burakovsky you have 6 players who want to have the puck in the offensive zone and want to be creating offense, either passing or shooting. Let them fly around the ice north and south throwing everything at the net and crashing hard. Having a goalie like Holtby back there gives them that safety net. I think a high octane offensive minded NCAA coach is the best option for this team. He will understand bringing along young guys, understands how to keep the "stars" accountable in dealing with high talent college players, and will be motivated to prove himself in the league

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Trotz is clearly a dead-end. But if the goal is still to "win now", I don't particularly see the point of firing him -- regardless of the coach, this team isn't a contender. Now, if the goal shifts to "develop young players", then ok, it would make sense to look for somebody who is great at that.

But it seems that the org might be fine with treading water. In this case, switching coaches now is kind of pointless -- ideally, you want a top coach and a fresh voice when the team has bottomed out/is on the cusp of taking off.

I'd make an exception if there was some truly genius coach available... but I don't think there is -- and anyway, the Caps probably wouldn't do things that way (meaning dump Trotz in order to replace him with a specific guy that became available).

This sums up my feelings. Almost feels like “what’s the point?”....

 

[StrikingDistance]

Voted #1, but probably will be #3. 1 to 2 more games of what transpired last night will increase the odds of #1 but the excuses abound for this team (injuries, crossbars, poor reffing, hot goalie, sniffing glue, etc) so it will likely be in the Spring.

What's Darryl Sutter doing these days? Can we kidnap Babcock?

It's like this team has a chronic case of I-don't-give-a-damn-itis and needs a new doctor to cure it.

 

[Ridley Simon]

If it’s promotion from within, nothing really changes. But I pretty much expect it.

Hey Man --

Not trying to argue with you... But Sullivan was a promotion from within. After literally no track record for a decade.

Who knows what Rierden will want to do. Unless they clean house and bring in someone like Sutter.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Bylsma seems like the perfect hire considering how deep the Penguins are inside this organization's head.

 

[brachyrynchos]

So if Reirden gets the job, that means another crucial position in this organization is being filled by someone who was an understudy to failure? Cool.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Byslma seems like the perfect hire considering how deep the Penguins are inside this organization's head.

Bylsma is the worst. Are we really going to imitate everything the Penguins do? If so, we're destined to lose against them, because we will always be one step behind.

 

[marcel snapshot]

It will be Reirden. They set a budget for coaching salaries this year, and if it's anyone other than Reirden, Ted will have to pay more for coaches than he planned to, and he won't want to do that - especially for a team that's now looking somewhat iffy for the playoffs, and hence won't make as much money as prior years. And it will be Reirden, because ultimately Ted does not want to change the mission statement of this team, which is that it's Ovi and the Ovi-ettes. So he won't want a coach that will change the culture of this team. Ted will hold onto his outdated vision of this team, long after it's past its expiration date because, as the last 10 years show, he can't adapt and he can't reassess the strategic value of assets that he's sunk a lot of capital into - even when they're obviously declining. He's just going to ride them down and then shrug his shoulders and say what we could we do.

 

[brachyrynchos]

The contracts of Backstrom and Holtby are up in 2020, Ovie the following year. Is this front office ever going to bring in a coach with credentials? Just once, someone that's won, someone that has been around winning. 3 of the greatest players to have played for the Caps, could be gone, sooner than we may accept, bring in a winner.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Yep, and he beat the defending Stanley Cup Champs with a rookie 3rd string goalie and took a dog**** roster to within one game of the ECF. Guys like Hunter have limited shelf lives on teams, but this roster also has a limited shelf life. Not saying I want to watch Hunter Hockey again but someone cut from that personality cloth is a must, in my opinion.

That screams Darryl Sutter

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

That screams Darryl Sutter

Wouldn't be the worst choice, in my opinion.

 

[SherVaughn30]

That screams Darryl Sutter

If you want to try to go for the Cup, then you go after Sutter. If you want to hope for the best, then Reirden. I think even Leonsis/Patrick/BMac know they are at a cross roads and keeping Trotz the rest of the season, even the naive Rock the Reds will lose interest. Leonsis will keep his corporate infusion of fans, but you still need regular fans to cheer the team on. This team will have less of that if they continue to struggle more and not win games. Also, when the star players continually struggle, it then falls on the coach to get them going again. Trotz did all he could for this team and that was bringing reasonable structure after the chaos Oates brought upon the team. As we can see Trotz is not gonna take this team to the next level needed, the one level this team have never accomplished in their history. The change needs to be done now and not wait till the off season.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Wouldn't be the worst choice, in my opinion.

I don't think that the Caps have ever had a coach that won the Stanley Cup.

Have they?