Washington sees the bright side of getting a new bench boss, but the vacancy is also a wake-up call and reminder that another lackluster season will not be acceptable.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- The Washington Capitals were brought together for their cleanout day Saturday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, with head coach Peter Laviolette giving them one last speech after parting ways with the team. And after exchanging goodbyes, the elephant in the room emerged.
Now what?
For Washington, the news of Laviolette's departure was abrupt and hard to take in less than 24 hours after the season finale, a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. What was even harder was that Laviolette had requested a morning meeting with general manager Brian MacLellan, making it clear that he wanted to explore the market.
It was another reminder of a disappointing season, one that ended with the Capitals missing out on the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
"Obviously great man, great coach, but it's a business," Alex Ovechkin said. "You can see at the trade deadline, we lost friends, great hockey players. But it's a business. It sucks that we right now are in this position, but nothing you can do. It's life; you just have to move on."
Along with Laviolette, assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe also agreed to part ways with the team. The rest of the coaching staff, including Scott Allen, Brett Leonhardt, Emily Engel-Natzke and Scott Murray, will be staying on board.
"With an organization like this where you expect to win and you want to win, every decision that happens is extremely important," Tom Wilson said.
When it comes to who the next bench boss will be, MacLellan is exploring all options, but there was an emphasis on current assistant coaches and the team exploring younger, newer coaches to come on board. Some candidates whose names have come up include former Hershey Bears head coach and current Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carberry and Capitals alumnus, DMV native and current Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Jeff Halpern.
"We'll see how it shakes out here," MacLellan said. "We'll start looking at names and with our group, talk about different coaches that people know and traits they have. Maybe we have to wait to talk to some assistant coaches that we think are candidates. We'll see how it goes here."
As MacLellan explores his candidates, Washington looks at the change with optimism and opportunity, as it allows for the team to get a clean slate and officially put the last year completely in the rearview.
"We've gotta hit reset this year, I'm sure they're going to do a really good job of picking the next coach," Darcy Kuemper said. "A lot of times, that can spark a team, and I think that would be really beneficial."
"There's going to be an element of having to get back to the drawing board a little bit... whatever coach comes in or whatever stuff comes in, we have a responsibility to do our job and get it done and get this ship back to the playoffs and where we want to be," Wilson added. "Less of that isn't acceptable."
Going off of that, there is uncertainty and pressure that comes with a new coach. Not only will it present the players with the challenge of learning a whole new system and adjusting team play, but the change serves as a reminder of a lackluster year and a clear message that the team has to perform and get back to the playoffs.
"I don't think it's going to be an anxiety, but it definitely leaves some question marks and our job, whatever staff comes in, is to execute to the best of our ability and whatever they want," Wilson explained. "They're going to come in with the system, they're going to come in with a new mindset, new ideas. As players, we have to be receptive; we have to do our job. It's our responsibility.
"[We're] a little unsure as to who's going to come in, how we're going to play, so it's different than having a predictable season where your coach is back and all that," Wilson added. "You'll be at home kind of waiting for the news, who it's going to be, but it doesn't change much for the individual."
In the end, though, a new bench boss is something that Washington can take a lot away from and should add more incentive and motivation. And ultimately, for the Capitals, that'll be great to see as they aim for a bounce-back season.
"Any time you get a new voice, players, for whatever reason, find a different level of motivation to go out there with a new guy who has never coached you and show him how much ice time you deserve and how much you're willing to sacrifice to win games, the type of player you are, the type of teammate you are," T.J. Oshie explained. "A new coach can change a team a lot more than a new player of a couple of new players could. I think you'll see a change in our mentality a little bit."