GDT#12 Stars @ Capitals 7:00 p.m. ET Sat Nov 3, 2018 NBCSWA, FS-SW

[DC_1908]

    Yup. A coach that should be here.

Yep, Monumental wanting a young coach they can control and market assuredly had a lot to do with that

[Pavel095]

Kings fired Stevens today,imao similar step would be needed for our team too in near future if we continue to play in same level of performance !

[Maacoshark]

Kings fired Stevens today,imao similar step would be needed for our team too in near future if we continue to play in same level of performance !

    I doubt that happens. Reirden is the guy they wanted.
Still can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of Trotz. DC's assessment is probably correct.

[4 Caps]

    I doubt that happens. Reirden is the guy they wanted.
Still can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of Trotz. DC's assessment is probably correct.

Lets be clear here.  They did not get rid of Trotz.  By the terms of his contract if he won the Stanley Cup he received an automatic 2 year extension with a roughly 500,000 dollar per year increase.   Trotz wanted a longer term and more money so he resigned and the Caps accepted his resignation.  I suppose they could have refused to let him go but that would not have been a good situation. 

[alta]

Lets be clear here.  They did not get rid of Trotz.  By the terms of his contract if he won the Stanley Cup he received an automatic 2 year extension with a roughly 500,000 dollar per year increase.   Trotz wanted a longer term and more money so he resigned and the Caps accepted his resignation.  I suppose they could have refused to let him go but that would not have been a good situation.

Management could’ve offered him something closer to what he wanted. That’s what we are upset about not happening. It’s not like Ted and Co. couldn’t afford it, and coaches don’t count towards the salary cap.

[4 Caps]

The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it.  I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign.  Caps did not have to let him out of his contract. 

[alta]

I get the contract part, but the sports industry doesn’t work like the government does

[PUCKNRUSH]

The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it.  I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign.  Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.

You’re correct 4Caps. Caps management did not “have to” do anything other than honor the terms of the contract, and yes, also did not “have to” accept Trotz’s resignation. But, accept his resignation, they did.
However, lets not pretend that somehow, management, didn’t have other REASONABLE options! It’s not like there is some honorable tradition, written in stone, that never allows renegotiation of NHL coaching contracts. It’s certainly been done, although not commonplace.
Coaching contract renegotiation, almost never occurs with a losing season. The coach is usually fired, either during, or at the end of the season. When you see renegotiation, it is following a winning season, where the coach has vastly improved the team!
Lets also not forget that Caps mgmt. did NOT make a contract offer to Trotz in his last year here. It would have been viewed, by anyone, as a normal and usual thing. And, in fact, was part of the summer media buzz.
WHY they didn’t, IMO, only Trotz, and Mgmt know. The point being, that we heard wisps of news that Trotz felt slighted by the organization, although there seemed to be great effort on both sides to stay quiet about it, and get on with the season. Good for all, I say, and we won the Cup!!
It is, singularly, some of us fans, and caps mgmt, in DC, that the terms “Presidents Trophy”, is considered to be using foul language!
We know why! Right or wrong, our multiple playoff failures, for SO long, led to this feeling! Trotz had been in Nashville for years and years. HE did not share this feeling, nor should’ve he!
Any other NHL city would have given their first born, for a coach possessing a resume with 2 Presidents  Trophies, and a Stanley Cup, in his past 3 seasons with their team!
Trotz, along with the entire Caps organization, achieved the ultimate!!! Trotz put damn near two decades into coaching at the NHL level. He wanted 5 yrs, and GOOD PAY, to remain. IMHO, I believe he would have accepted a 3 or 4 yr deal, had he not been met with such rigidity about the contract, at the end of our stellar season!!
Yes, Mgmt held to the “letter of the law”, but I was one to disagree with their actions in this case! Maybe Trotz was too soured from not getting re-signed earlier? Maybe it was an ego battle between GMBM and Trotz? Who knows?
FYI, these comments, I make, have nothing to do with the current situations with Rierden, or Trotz right now. It’s too early for that stuff. I always say, 20-25 games, before any serious considerations about the team!
I do, however, generally respect your integrity for keeping contracts, 4Caps!


Rush

[Maacoshark]

The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it.  I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign.  Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.

      You realize that the Caps had made their choice long ago. They wanted Reirden which was why they blocked teams from talking to him. They had ZERO intentions on keeping Trotz. He was going to be a free agent vat the end of last season. Except a clause in his contract messed up their plans. That clause being if we won the cup that Trotz would get an additional 2 years. That is the reason that he was still under contract. Do you actually think the Caps would honor that contract? Had Trotz accepted the contract I guarantee the Caps would have fired him by now and Reirden would be head coach anyway. Resigning was the best option for Trotz. I'm pretty sure both parties knew this was the way it was going to turn out long ago. We fucked Trotz, we fucked ourselves.

[Beaglefan2]

I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately.  There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible.  I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be.  We will crank it up at some point.

[DC_1908]

The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it.  I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign.  Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.

No they didn’t have to, but it’s obvious they wanted to.  It was well within their means to offer and pay what he wanted, or enough to keep him.


Monumental Entertainment was done marketing the veteran coach and wanted to switch to a younger/first year/promoted coach that is a “good story” and can be controlled

[DC_1908]

I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately.  There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible.  I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be.  We will crank it up at some point.

.500 record after 20 games is fine, but allowing almost 100 goals in 20 games isn’t.


This stretch is worse than any point last year, the Oates era, or the BB era.

[richkrt99]

OV on the faceoff?

What's ironic is my son, who is not really a hockey fan, (and yes I am ashamed as a failed father figure to no end) was watching the other day and asked me if Ovi was good at face-offs>

[richkrt99]

You know you/we fans are very fickle.   


I recall about this time last year ALOT of people were calling for Trotz to be fired because of the teams poor performance.


And even more so after the previous year's miserable playoff performance.  I recall specifically many many people on these boards complaining about Trotz' inability to make effective adjustments during the post season run and that he should be fired...
People complained that Trot's had NEVER gotten past the second round so WHY did the Caps even hire him....because they were okay with mediocre playoffs as long as the marketing was good and we won another president's cup.


Many fans, and many fans on this board were calling for Trotz to be fired prior to last season....which is probably when Monumental decided NOT to renegotiate a contract with Trotz.


It's not like the Caps decided AFTER they won the cup NOT to renegotiate with Trotz.  By that point, it was already over and done with from both sides of the table.


Are any of you actually saying that you would have been happy about and applauded CAPS management and Monument for resigning Trotz to a new 5 year deal at the end of a disappointing playoff run the previous year...OR  - IF that had been done at this point in the season last year?


Hell NO.  You would have been screaming bloody murder and complaining about how stupid GMBM was and that all TED wanted was a coach he could successfully market.


I'd rather still have Trotz than Reirdon, but it wasn't to be.  I, as a GM (which I obviously aint) would have no way been renegotiating a contract with Trotz after three disappointing playoff runs.
Even going into round 1 of last years playoffs - do you honestly think ANY reasonable team ownership or management would have negotiated a new contract with Trotz?  Or that he deserved a new contract after what at that point was at best mediocre team performance?


It wasn't a successful season until round three of the playoffs and way too late for any contract BS at that point.


Get real peeps.


Honestly, I am surprised that hasn't been more whining about Reirdon already.




Rant over.  GO CAPS




[size=78%](sure wish we had Trotz leading us this year)  [/size]




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[ArJunaZ]

 . . . . .

Honestly, I am surprised that hasn't been more whining about Reirdon already.

It's tough to blame Reirdon when we have pretty much the same team that won the cup and they simply aren't executing.  I can see them going a game or three trying out new ideas from Reirdon, but when shit starts to stink I'd expect the guys to fall back to what they know worked for them.  I don't see how a coach could fuck this team up in such a short period of time. I lay this on the guys if anyone.

[Mickstix]

Trotz boiled down to ego, imo.. I was one of the ones calling for his firing, so I don't blame him at all for asking for a re-negotiated contract after winning a cup.. He did what most everyone said/thought couldn't be done here. Soooo, imo, Ted should of recognized this and swallowed his pride and gave the man some money.. But, he didn't and here we are. Im not saying Reirden is a bad coach or anything, but anyone (including Ted/Monumental) who thinks the grass is greener with him gone, is delusional.. They spent through the nose to keep Kuzy, Carlson, Oshie, Orlov, etc.. Should of just spent what doesn't go against the cap and amounts to peanuts to a billionaire and been done with it.. 

[Maacoshark]

.500 record after 20 games is fine, but allowing almost 100 goals in 20 games isn’t.


This stretch is worse than any point last year, the Oates era, or the BB era.

   This is the worst they have been defensively since the 70s.
We can't even really use the excuse that the league is more offensive minded now. I think there was 4 shutouts Saturday.

[PUCKNRUSH]

I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately.  There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible.  I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be.  We will crank it up at some point.

Here, Here!!  Well said Beags!


Rush

[PUCKNRUSH]

Some interesting angles posted on this Trotz thing.
Another consideration is the pent-up, playoff choking, expectations that only Caps fans knew too well.
This was the atmosphere that Trotz inherited upon arrival, whether fair or unfair!
The “2 year window”, was publically proclaimed, by mgmt, to the fans. What other marketing choice did they have, with the “2nd round choke” reputation, like a noose around the neck? What else was left
that could be said to the fans?
I do believe that ego was involved, Trotz feeling dissed by not getting an offer, when he finished the last two regular seasons with the best record in the NHL for those years!
Truth is, the significant VALUE of what that meant to Trotz, as opposed to what Mgmt thought of the accomplishment, were probably miles apart! Which, IMO, led to a private, behind the scenes, understanding, throughout the regular season, that neither party was very interested in renewal! (Obviously, just my opinion, here).


This all being said, I STILL think that the very winning of the Stanley Cup, COULD and SHOULD have provided both parties with an “out”, for their respective egos, allowing both sides a face saving situation, where they both can reset the negotiating needle back to ZERO.
Neither budged, IMO, and that was not only shameful, but awkward for the fans to witness! Plenty of blame to go around, I think!
Whichever way you feel about Trotzy, as coaches go, if we heap the blame on him, for that gut wrenching, 2nd round, gm 7, pathetic, give-up loss, to the Hens in 2017, then he also gets the praise heaped on him, for our miraculous 2018 Stanley!  Simple as that!
It’s also way too early, for me, to start forming the deeper, solid opinions on things with the Caps, right now. Rierden deserves a chance to show he can adjust to challenges. Tonites Oilers win, speaks some hope that he just may be capable of doing just that!  20-25 games, is a good early litmus test, in my book!


Rush