Bennett led the Avalanche to the fifth-best power play in the league under his eight-year tenure.
The Washington Capitals have a new face behind the bench, as they have hired Ray Bennett as an assistant coach to replace Kirk Muller.
Bennett spent last season with the New York Islanders, where he helped oversee the power play, and prior to that, spent eight years with the Colorado Avalanche, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022. He's coached for over 25 years at the NHL level.
Though the Islanders' power play struggled this past season at just 16.3 percent under Bennett and Patrick Roy, who was relieved of his duties down the stretch, Bennett was key in transforming the Avalanche's power play from 2017 to 2025.
Over Bennett's eight-year tenure in Colorado, the Avalanche had the fifth-best power play in the NHL, operating at 23 percent in the regular season. In playoff action, it ranked fourth at 24.3 percent.
For Washington, Bennett offers a new perspective when it comes to improving on the man advantage, an area that the team has struggled in over the last few seasons.
Under Muller, who joined Carbery's staff in 2023 to oversee the forwards and power play, the Capitals man advantage ranked in the middle of the pack at 20.6 percent, and this past season, was the eighth-worst in the league at 17.8 percent.
Bennett fills out the Spencer Carbery's coaching staff, which features assistant coaches Scott Allen and Patrick Wellar, assistant coach and skills coach Kenny McCudden, goaltending coach Scott Murray, assistant coach and video coach Brett Leonhardt and video coach Emily Engel-Natzke.