Reirden gives Capitals continuity as coach

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Todd Reirden will attempt to do something that hasn't been accomplished in 49 years.
The Washington Capitals made official Friday what was expected since Barry Trotz resigned as coach June 18, naming Reirden as his successor.

RELATED: [Reirden named coach of Capitals, replaces Trotz]
The Capitals won the Stanley Cup for the first time in their 43-season history, which makes the challenge for Reirden simple but daunting.
The last time a team repeated as Stanley Cup champions with a first-time NHL coach in the second season was in 1969, when the Montreal Canadiens won with Claude Ruel. He succeeded Toe Blake, who retired after the Canadiens won the Cup in 1968.
Since then, three other first-time NHL coaches took over a Cup-winning team. The Boston Bruins lost in the first round in 1971 with coach Tom Johnson after winning the Cup under Harry Sinden in 1970; the New York Rangers lost in the second round under Colin Campbell in 1995 after winning the Cup with Mike Keenan in 1994; and the Detroit Red Wings lost in the first round in 2003 with Dave Lewis as their coach after winning the Cup with Scotty Bowman in 2002.
Trotz left after he was unable to agree with Washington on a contract extension and was hired by the New York Islanders on June 21. The Capitals took a little time before hiring Reirden, but general manager Brian MacLellan made it clear from the start he was the only candidate.
On the day Trotz resigned, MacLellan acknowledged he considered Reirden, an associate coach in Washington the past two seasons after serving as an assistant under Trotz the previous two seasons, as a coach in waiting.
"We've been grooming him to be a head coach," MacLellan said then, "whether for us or for someone else."

Reirden, who turned 47 on Monday, interviewed for coaching jobs with the New Jersey Devils in 2015 (when John Hynes was hired) and the Calgary Flames in 2016 (when Glen Gulutzan was hired). MacLellan said June 13 that Reirden's contract included a clause that prevented him from interviewing for other jobs last offseason.
So it was clear the Capitals wanted to keep him around in case things didn't work out with Trotz.
Things actually worked out well with the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup, but the door opened for Reirden when Trotz decided to leave.
One of the biggest advantages of hiring Reirden is continuity; if Washington decided to bring in a more experienced coach, that coach would have needed some time to get to know the players. That also might have meant some change to their systems.
Though Reirden will no doubt tweak some things, he already knows the players well, and they know him.
"He's familiar with the personalities, he's familiar with systems we've used, the culture," MacLellan said last week. "It could be a natural transition."
The Capitals this week re-signed defenseman John Carlson to an eight-year, $64 million contract (average annual value $8 million) Sunday; forward Devante Smith-Pelly to one-year, $1 million contract Thursday; and defenseman Michal Kempny to a four-year, $10 million contract (AAV $2.5 million) Friday.
That means five of the six defensemen and 10 of the 12 forwards who played in the Cup-clinching win against the Vegas Golden Knights on June 7 are under contract for next season. One of unsigned forwards, potential restricted free agent Tom Wilson, will almost definitely be back.
Defenseman Brooks Orpik was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on June 23, with backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer, to clear NHL salary cap space to re-sign Carlson. But there's a possibility Orpik could return to the Capitals as an unrestricted free agent after the Avalanche bought out the final season on his contract.

That would potentially leave fourth-line center Jay Beagle, who is expected to leave as an unrestricted free agent, as the only Capitals regular who will not return next season.
"We all want to come back and play and try it again with the same group," Smith-Pelly said. "Obviously, it might not work that way, but I think that's what's everyone's intention."
Though they will have a different coach, Reirden is popular among the players. He has run the Capitals defense and power play the past four seasons.
Carlson credited Reirden with helping him take his game to the next level this season with an NHL career-best 68 points (15 goals, 53 assists). Reirden also was instrumental in the development of Dmitry Orlov into a steady, two-way defenseman, and fitting Kempny into the top four after he was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 19.
"He did a great job taking everybody for being different people and seeing things different ways," Carlson said. "I just think he seemed to connect with everyone's different personalities."

That doesn't mean it will be all smooth sailing for Washington next season. The dreaded Stanley Cup hangover many champions experience isn't unavoidable, but Reirden might have his hands full keeping the Capitals focused early in the season after a summer of celebrations.
Maybe having a new coach will help keep Washington hungry, dealing with the daily challenge of opponents gearing up to measure themselves against the Cup champions. That will be a new experience for all of them if Orpik, their only two-time Cup winner, doesn't return.
But this is the opportunity Reirden has been working toward since he got into coaching as an assistant at Bowling Green, his alma mater, in 2007. That followed a 13-season professional playing career as a defenseman that included 183 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes.
MacLellan, 59, is also a Bowling Green alumnus.
Reirden's only previous experience as coach came with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Eight years later, he'll get his chance in the NHL.
"He did amazing job, obviously, with the defense and [was] a big part of the whole run," Smith-Pelly said. "So I think he'll do a great job and definitely help us defend the Cup."