WASHINGTON — The New York Islanders announced Thursday afternoon that they’ve hired coach Barry Trotz, who resigned from the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Trotz resigned less than two weeks after leading the Capitals to the first Stanley Cup title in the team’s history.
Islanders News: President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced today that the team has hired Barry Trotz as Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/hf2uZIhy5z
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 21, 2018
In the past 40 years, Trotz is just the fifth coach not to return to a Stanley Cup-winner and the first since Scotty Bowman retired after winning with Detroit in 2002. Mike Keenan in 1994 was the last coach to leave a Cup champion in a contract dispute when he did not return to the New York Rangers.
Trotz has the fifth-most wins of any coach in NHL history and led Washington to back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Despite that, the Capitals let the 55-year-old go into the final year of his contract without an extension, in large part because he had never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
Contract terms haven’t yet been announced, but Trotz reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth double what he would have made annually on a shorter contract with the Capitals.
The Caps’ Stanley Cup championship triggered a clause in his contract that gave Trotz a $300,000 raise to about $2 million for the next two seasons. General manager Brian MacLellan said a long-term contract, and the desire by Trotz’s representative to see him paid among the top four or five coaches in the NHL were sticking points, and Trotz asked for and was given his resignation Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
