DETROIT – The New York Islanders fired head coach Barry Trotz on Monday after the team missed the playoffs. Could he be a fit for the Red Wings?
The Red Wings, of course, fired their head coach Jeff Blashill at the end of the regular season, and Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has expressed interest in bringing in an experienced head coach.
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Trotz’s Islanders missed the playoffs this season for the first time in his four-year tenure with the team. In four seasons as the team’s coach, Trotz was 152-102-34 and 28-21 in the playoffs. The Islanders reached the third round of the playoffs in two straight seasons.
Trotz, 59, also coached for the Nashville Predators (1998-2014) and Washington Capitals (2014-2018), where he won his only Stanley Cup behind Alexander Ovechkin. Trotz resigned following the championship after a contract dispute.
In a press conference last week, Yzerman wouldn’t put a specific timetable on replacing Blashill, and wouldn’t comment on any specific names, but he did mention that it’s hard to hire someone you don’t have a previous relationship with. Read into that what you’d like.
“I’ve got a few names bouncing around in my head and it’s been a busy couple of days here,” Yzerman said. At this stage, I’m not gonna restrict my search or my long list to any particular criteria as he has to be a head coach, he has to have NHL experience, or this or that.”
The Red Wings finished with a 32-40-10 record, and a -82 goal differential, one of the highest in the league.