Capitals hire Barry Trotz as head coach, promote Brian MacLellan to GM

The Washington Capitals made two major announcements Monday, promoting Brian MacLellan to senior vice president and general manager and naming Barry Trotz as the team’s coach.

The announcement was made via Capitals Today, with the following statement from owner Ted Leonsis:

We are extremely pleased to name Brian MacLellan the team’s general manager and welcome Barry Trotz to Washington as the Capitals coach. 

After conducting an extensive search for a general manager, we determined that Brian was the best candidate to help us reach our ultimate goal, winning the Stanley Cup ... We feel he has relevant, in-depth knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of our franchise and will be forceful in addressing them.

We are also excited to welcome Barry back to the Capitals organization. Barry is a highly respected and accomplished coach who brings us a wealth of experience. He possesses high character and the exact leadership qualities we look for in the head coach. He was the only coach we coveted, and we feel he is an ideal fit to help lead our club.

Trotz, 51, becomes the 17th coach in Capitals history and joins Washington after spending 15 seasons as coach of the Nashville Predators. He ranks 15th on the NHL’s coaching wins list and fourth among active coaches, behind Joel Quenneville (Chicago), Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis) and Lindy Ruff (Dallas).

“I am very excited to join the Washington Capitals," Trotz said. “This is a great organization with a strong foundation and a tremendous fan base. I look forward to working with this group of talented players and the quality front office staff this team has assembled.”

MacLellan, 55, becomes the sixth general manager in the Capitals history; he has been with the team for the past 13 seasons with Washington, seven as the team’s assistant general manager. 

"Over the course of my career I have worked in acquiring the necessary skills to excel in this position," he said. "We have built a solid foundation, and I look forward to implementing my ideas to get us back to competing for the Stanley Cup."

Both men will be tasked with improving a team built around superstar Alex Ovechkin; the Capitals failed to make the playoffs in 2014, taking a big step backwards in the midst of ongoing Stanley Cup aspirations.