Islanders hire Trotz as coach fresh off winning Stanley Cup
DALLAS — When Barry Trotz left the Washington Capitals fresh off winning the Stanley Cup, the New York Islanders couldn’t move fast enough to talk to him.
Minutes after word circulated that Trotz resigned from the Capitals, Islanders president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello got in touch. On Thursday, the Islanders hired Trotz and hope to benefit from the first Stanley Cup-winning coach leaving his team in a contract dispute in 24 years.
“It’s certainly not something that you see every day,” Lamoriello said Thursday after the NHL general managers meeting. “But I think we’re the fortunate recipient of it that we were able to have him come in our organization.”
The Capitals weren’t willing to pay top dollar to keep Trotz in the fold, so the Islanders pounced and have a fresh selling point to try to retain face of the franchise John Tavares. Trotz, who brings his resume with the fifth-most wins in NHL history, two Presidents’ Trophy seasons and now a Stanley Cup, has already been in touch with Tavares, a 27-year-old point-a-game centre who can begin speaking with other teams next week and become a free agent July 1.