3 possible candidates for New York Islanders’ head coaching vacancy
1. Barry Trotz
Trotz has the Washington Capitals on the brink of winning a Stanley Cup, with a 3-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights after a win at home in Game 4 Monday night. But he is also without a contract for next season right now, and even with a Cup win a previous run of playoff disappointments might be enough for the Capitals to look elsewhere for a fresh voice.
While Washington seems to be a mortal lock to hoist the Cup sometime within the next week or so, there are a couple pieces of dismal franchise playoff history they’re trying to go against once and for all.
I'm just gonna go reverse jinx by openly pointing out two stats:
— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) June 5, 2018
•Before this year, the @Capitals were 14-43 in playoff games after taking 2-game series leads.
•They've lost *10* series after leading by 2-gms. Most of any major pro franchise.
They're due is what I'm saying.
Good news for the Capitals: they're up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2018
Bad news for the Capitals: they're only 7-5 when having a 3-1 in a best-of-7 series https://t.co/tLOONuQ68H
A complete collapse to lose the Stanley Cup Final may take Trotz from a lame-duck coach all season to the two sides “mutually parting ways” in June. Even without that potential epic collapse it’s odd that a contract extension has not been done, and doesn’t appear close to happening. But to Trotz’s great credit, he has said the right things about his situation.
Next: Montreal Canadiens: 5 2018 free agent targets
It’s easy to see Lamoriello having serious interest in Trotz, and already conveying that to the agent for the Capitals’ coach. The move is not necessarily likely, especially if the Capitals win the Stanley Cup. But simply making a concerted effort to hire Trotz, successful or not, might be enough to keep Tavares in an Islanders uniform for many more years.