The Washington Capitals and coach Peter Laviolette have agreed to end their association after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
General manager Brian MacLellan announced the decision, which he called mutual, on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Capitals’ season ended. Laviolette’s contract was coming to an end.
“We are grateful to Peter for his leadership and dedication to our organization over the past three seasons,” MacLellan said in a statement. Peter is a quality individual who represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances during his tenure as manager. We wish him the best for the future. »
Laviolette, 58, has coached the Capitals for the past three seasons. He made the playoffs in each of the first two, extending the playoff streak to eight seasons. The Caps have lost in the first round each time, however, and haven’t won a series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 under Barry Trotz.
MacLellan, president Dick Patrick and owner Ted Leonsis will now set out to find the eighth coach of Alex Ovechkin’s NHL career.
Ovechkin is 73 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career record. He turns 38 in September and has three years left on his contract.
Leonsis told Ovechkin he wouldn’t rebuild while the Russian captain was chasing Gretzky’s record. Laviolette’s replacement will therefore be tasked with allowing the Capitals to continue to win — and score goals — with an aging workforce and limited possibilities for major change due to the length of the contracts and the salary cap which will not increase much.
At the moment, former Washington assistant Spencer Carbery, who currently works in Toronto, and former captain Jeff Halpern — a two-time Cup winner with Jon Cooper at Tampa Bay — are considered two of the best candidates.