CAPITALS PAYING PRICE OF VICTORY
Stanley Cup-winning coach resigns, and several key free agents could follow
The last time Barry Trotz was a free agent, he reportedly waited 30 minutes before the Washington Capitals called and offered him a job. This time, he won’t have to wait nearly as long. Less than two weeks after the veteran Washington Capitals coach lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career, Trotz quit his job on Monday after failing to come to terms on a new contract extension.
Call it the price of winning. Trotz, who was on the final year of his contract, would have probably been happy to sign an extension earlier in the year when the Capitals were treading water in the standings. But at the time, it didn’t seem as though the team wanted him back. That started to change in the playoffs, as Washington went further than it had in the history of the franchise. According to Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman, Trotz’s contract had a built-in, two-year extension if the Caps won the Stanley Cup. Suddenly, a coach who cameras caught mouthing “I’m done” to Columbus head coach John Tortorella after advancing past the first round, had been given a second life. But first, he expected a raise in salary.
Trotz, who spent the first 15 years of his NHL career behind the bench in Nashville, wasn’t in a position to demand a huge salary when he took the job with Washington in 2015. After all, the Predators had never made it past the second round under his watch. But things have obviously changed in the last year. After leading the Capitals to their first championship, the 55-year-old is now up there with Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville and Claude Julien as one of the NHL’s top coaches.
As such, he basically priced himself out of D.C. The question is, who leaves next? Defenceman John Carlson? Centre Jay Beagle and goalie Philipp Grubauer?
Will Trotz receive a salary above the $6 million or $6.25 million that Chicago’s Quenneville and Toronto’s Babcock receive, respectively? Maybe not. But don’t be surprised if it’s somewhere in the neighbourhood of the $5 million that Montreal’s Julien earns, particularly if Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello thinks hiring Trotz could convince John Tavares to stay. Or maybe the Minnesota Wild cuts ties with Bruce Boudreau. Either way, Trotz is calling the shots this summer. And he’s not alone.
Carlson, who led defencemen in scoring in both the regular season and the playoffs, should have no trouble getting north of $7 million
a year from some team. Beagle, who was on a capfriendly $1.75-million contract, will be asking double or even triple that amount.
And based on their playoff heroics, restricted free agents Tom Wilson ($2 million) and Smith-Pelly ($650,00) are in line for a huge raises.