The Washington Capitals are moving on from head coach Todd Reirden. The team announced Reirden has been relieved of his coaching duties.
“We have higher expectations for our team, and we felt a fresh approach in leadership was necessary,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “We would like to thank Todd for all of his hard work and efforts with our organization. Todd has been a big part of our team for more than half a decade, including our Stanley Cup run in 2018, and we wish him and his family all the best moving forward.”
Reirden was an assistant with the Capitals for four seasons under Barry Trotz, including their run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2017-18. Reirden became the head coach in 2018 after Trotz and the club could not agree on a contract extension.
In two seasons, Reirden compiled an 89-46-16 with two Metro division titles. However, his regular season success didn’t carry over in the postseason with back-to-back first-round exits.
The latest came at the hands of Trotz and his new team the New York Islanders. Reirden was outcoached by Trotz in just about every facet over the course of five games. Losing in such a fashion, brought up concerns of Reirden’s coaching style in the postseason, highlighted by his lack of effective adjustments.
