Former Preds Coach Trotz Flees DC; Where Will He Land?

Barry Trotz just got done coaching the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup but then resigned shortly thereafter due to a contract disagreement with the team. Where will the former Caps and Predators head coach be barking behind the bench this coming season?

Money Matters

At first blush, it was almost incomprehensible that a coach would resign less than two weeks after winning the Stanley Cup. Prior to this season, Barry Trotz’s tenure with the Caps was very much in jeopardy despite the fact that he had coached them to a 156-63-27 record, which included two divisional titles and winning the President’s Trophy (most regular-season points) in both of those campaigns.

The rub was that the team’s regular-season success did not translate into postseason glory. Washington was the odds-on-favorite to win the last two years prior to this one, but they bowed in the second round to Pittsburgh on both occasions. There was doubt about whether or not the talented team assembled in Washington was tough enough to win when it mattered most and that cynicism rested squarely on the jockey riding the fastest horse in the race but historically unable to get it over the finish line first.

Trotz’s Capitals were equipped with one of the finest players on the planet in Alex Ovechkin coupled with a budding star in Evgeny Kuznetsov, a solid producer in Nicklas Backstrom, and a cornerstone blueliner in John Carlson. Oh, and let’s not forget a goaltending duo in Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer that rivaled any tandem in the league. Trotz had the tools, the talent, and the foundation but had failed to build a championship house. Fast forward to this past season and all that potential finally coalesced into a powerhouse run through the playoffs and a dominating 4-1 series win over the Vegas Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

Suddenly, it was Trotz in the driver’s seat and the two-year extension that kicked in due to a Stanley Cup victory was his for the taking. Now the Capitals’ brass was hoping to continue with Trotz at the helm as opposed to Trotz groveling for an extension had he not won the Cup. It didn’t take long for him to make Washington pay for not extending his contract before last season, as clubs normally do when they intend to commit to their head coach, and the once lame duck was now a soaring eagle.

Hotzy Trotzy – Barry’s a Hot Commodity

There are several possible destinations for Trotz this coming season as head coaching vacancies spring eternal in professional sports. But one place he won’t be plying his trade is in Washington as the two could not come to a mutual agreement on money and length of the contract. The extension he spurned was for two years and at a salary that was so 2014 when he signed his pact with the Caps. Therefore, Trotz will be elsewhere and you may not believe it but the bookmakers are dealing odds on where he will land.

Whenever we have questions as to what the best online sportsbooks are offering on any sporting event or proposition wager, the only place to turn is Sportsbook Review. That’s right, SBR is the sports betting industry’s premier site for anything from latest odds, to a detailed vetting of all of the world’s online sportsbooks. Sportsbook Review provides a thorough analysis and ultimately renders a letter grade ranging from A+ to F, letting both the professional and recreational bettor know which offshore books to consider and which ones to avoid. As of this writing, one of the industry’s major books is dealing odds on where Trotz will coach next season. Below are a few of the props being offered.

Will Barry Trotz be the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres for Game 1 of the 2018-2019 Season?

No -1400

Yes +700

Will Barry Trotz be the head coach of the Minnesota Wild for Game 1 of the 2018-2019 Season?

No -800

Yes +500

Will Barry Trotz be the head coach of the St. Louis Blues for Game 1 of the 2018-2019 Season?

No -1000

Yes +600

Will Barry Trotz be the head coach of the New York Islanders for Game 1 of the 2018-2019 Season?

No +160

Yes -200

It would appear the Islanders have the inside track on the Trotz’s services considering they are the only team other than Washington with an opening, but could Trotz ever be wooed back behind the Predators’ bench? After all, he did log 16 seasons in Nashville before Peter Laviolette assumed the reins. But the Preds look like they’re in good hands under Laviolette, and it would be more than a bit absurd to remove the coach whose team had the most regular-season points with 117 before getting upended by Winnipeg in the second round. But doesn't that scenario sound eerily familiar?!

Right now, the decision rests with Trotz and a big payday is looming. Not bad for a guy who could very well have been pink-slipped had he not brought home a championship trophy to the nation’s capital.