He’s dealt with a ton adversity during his stint as head coach of the Washington Capitals. A global pandemic and a rash of significant injuries has accompanied Peter Laviolette’s tenure in Washington, rendering it anything but typical. Unfortunately, the adversity has also clouded the ability to clearly assess his performance during his time in Washington. But there are “breadcrumbs” worth considering.
Laviolette, by most accounts, has been well received by the players, the Capitals front office, as well as fans. He’s been more than proficient, and with a coach of his pedigree, was the right play following Todd Reirden’s reign. But is it the right play moving forward?
The team has been quick first round exits in the postseason in Laviolette’s first two years as the Capitals bench boss, and is looking at very real possibility of missing the playoffs altogether in the final year of his deal. But again, there are plenty of injuries to prevent placing all the blame on Laviolette’s shoulders.
Regardless, Laviolette’s contract expires at the end of this season and the team is facing quite a bit of change coming between now and free agency this summer. The team will undoubtedly see plenty of new faces in training camp in September, as the organization attempts to reshape, as well as get younger.
The primary question, at least under the purview of this post, would Laviolette be the right head coach for the next phase of the Capitals?
Laviolette has consistently demonstrated a propensity for preferring the aged veteran over the developing youngster, even to the point of having young talent beg for a ticket on the first bus out of Washington. What would this Capitals team be with Jonas Siegenthaler, 25, now one of the league’s better defensemen, patrolling the blueline?
To Laviolette’s credit, he has guided the insertion of Capitals prospect Martin Fehervary into a full time role with the team, but in all reality, the inertia for that elevation was occurring well before Laviolette’s arrival. Aliaksei Protas could be another youngster credit for Laviolette, yet that has been anything but a full-time role.
Laviolette has demonstrated he prefers going with the same veteran players, night after night, rather than including any kind of revolving, periodic insertion of prospects, strictly for development purposes. He starts what he believes will give him the best chance at winning each and every night, which isn’t a crazy strategy. But unfortunately, philosophy has detrimental affects later down the line. When all is said and done, we just don’t have a good feel for Laviolette’s ability to coach and develop youth.
The ideal head coach for the next phase of the Capitals is probably someone better suited at motivating and managing young players, yet able to be successful at the NHL level. That sounds like a tall order, but maybe not.
Examples include Spencer Carbery and Todd Nelson, who have proven their ability to coach, develop and manage young players, both at the Junior and pro levels. A head coach of their make would be optimal in developing Capitals prospects, as well as coach and manage the remaining aging veterans on the team.
The safe play for Capitals’ General Manager Brian MacLellan would be to extend Laviolette for another two years, or the remaining term of Alex Ovechkin’s contract (three years). It would eliminate any chance of a big “swing-and-a-miss” in hiring the next coach, and squandering the remaining Ovechkin years.
But in this case, safe isn’t best move for long-term health of the organization. The Capitals have one final three-year stretch to reshape/retool/re-whatever-you-want-to-call-it, and make one or two serious runs for a Cup. It may seem risky but the best move would be to hire a young motivator to help build, develop and manage the team to the Ovechkin finish line.
By Jon Sorensen