ANALYSIS/OPINION:
The Washington Capitals have had 17 head coaches in their 44 years. Only one — Barry Trotz — has won a Stanley Cup.
And owner Ted Leonsis didn’t think that was worth paying for.
That’s what happened here. You can rationalize it or explain it away however you need to in order to live with it. But this franchise has been desperate to win a championship for decades, and now that it has one, the owner refused to pay his Stanley Cup champion coach what he is worth.
Reportedly, Trotz, whose contract was up at the end of the season, had a two-year extension that kicked in with the title, but the raise was chump change compared to what Trotz delivered to the organization, which has enjoyed a windfall of playoff game revenue and merchandising sales.