Islanders head coach Barry Trotz gestures on the ice during an NHL summer training camp session at Northwell Health Ice Center on July 14. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Do not expect Barry Trotz to admit this publicly, but of course beating the Capitals in a first-round playoff series would mean a little bit more than merely surviving and advancing as the Islanders’ coach.
It has been only 26 months since he resigned from the Capitals, not long after winning a Stanley Cup and getting lowballed on a contract extension offer.
Enter Todd Reirden, his successor in waiting, whom the Caps were quick to install behind the bench after they parted ways with Trotz.