The Washington Capitals moved on from head coach Peter Laviolette nearly a month ago. However, there has been little known about the search for a replacement. Following the NHL Draft Lottery, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan addressed the search.
“We’re just beginning,” MacLellan said, per Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington. “There’s a lot of teams still playing. There’s a lot of guys we still want to talk to. We’ll monitor the playoffs and see what happens in the playoffs. We’ve targeted a few guys, and we’ll bring them in, and we’ll take to them and make a plan from there.”
Since the departure of Barry Trotz following the Capitals’ Stanley Cup title season, Washington has yearned to return to its contending ways. Todd Reirden and Laviolette failed to get out of the first round during their runs as coaches.
This season, the Capitals failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 season. MacLellan wants to hit a home run this go-around after whiffing with Reirden and Laviolette.
Several names reportedly are on the Caps’ shortlist for the vacancy. All of which are currently involved in the NHL and AHL playoffs. That list includes Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, Todd Nelson, the head coach of the Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears, and Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern.
Carbery was the Bears’ head coach for three years. Meanwhile, Halpern is a native of nearby Potomac, Maryland, and a fan favorite to head the Capitals. He played seven seasons with Washington and is a former Capitals captain. Halpern has been on the Lightning staff since 2018, winning two Stanley Cup titles.
There may be others added to the list for interviews. Yet, the process for the next Capitals head coach will wait for the availability of candidates.
