Washington Capitals fire coach Todd Reirden after two first-round playoff exits
The Washington Capitals fired coach Todd Reirden Sunday after two seasons of first-round playoff exits.
Reirden was the top assistant to Barry Trotz when the Capitals won their lone Stanley Cup title in 2018. Trotz left the team in a contract dispute and later joined the New York Islanders. The Capitals promoted Reirden to his first NHL head coaching job.
While praising the work that Reirden did in his six years with the team, general manager Brian MacLellan said he noticed the team's play starting to slip since Christmas.
“Our team game wasn’t as good as it had been," he said on a Zoom call. "It was going in the wrong direction. Our compete level was in and out. … I think inconsistent play continued into the (Toronto playoff) bubble and we paid the price in the end.”
In two regular seasons, Reirden had a .642 winning percentage and won two division titles, but the team wasn't able to produce playoff success.
The Capitals' Stanley Cup defense in 2019 ended in the first round when they blew a 3-2 series lead and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime in Game 7. This season, the Capitals received a bye from the qualifying round, but they lost to the Islanders in five games, though MacLellan said falling to Trotz's team didn't play a factor in the decision about Reirden.
“While I’m disappointed that we could not bring another championship to DC, I will always cherish my six years with this organization and our memorable run in 2018,” Reirden said in a statement to the Associated Press. “I wish this team nothing but success in the future.”
The Capitals still have a strong core with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstro, John Carlson, Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
MacLellan said there is no timetable for the new hire, and experience will be a factor.
“We need someone to come in and push the button on some good players," he said, adding, "I think one thing that happened to us in the bubble, our structure didn’t seem to be there. We didn’t play with any structure. ... We need someone that can come in and establish that.”