The Washington Capitals were not willing to meet the cost that comes with success.
A Stanley Cup win triggered a clause in Barry Trotz's contract that would have seen him remain head coach of the Capitals for the next two seasons with a $300,000 raise - bringing his annual salary to $1.8 million - but after the two sides were unable to come to a revised agreement, Trotz resigned.
At a media availability Monday, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan noted that Trotz wanted to bring his compensation in line with the NHL's top coaches, reported Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.
"There are probably four guys that are making that money, so it's the upper echelon. It's the big-revenue teams," MacLellan said.
According to CapFriendly, Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock is currently the NHL's highest-paid coach, bringing in $6.25 million per year, closely followed by Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks at $6 million, then Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien, who earns $5 million.
While the dollar figure may have been troubling for the Capitals, it appears the length of the extension was a sticking point, MacLellan indicated, as per Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington.
Trotz spent the last four seasons in Washington, and a five-year extension - if he remained for the life of the contract - would have brought his tenure to nine seasons, a rarity in the NHL.
Trotz is now a free agent and has been given clearance by the Capitals to speak with other clubs. The New York Islanders are currently the only other team without a head coach.
Meanwhile, the search for the next coach in Washington will begin with current assistant coach Todd Reirden, who spent the last four seasons working alongside Trotz. Reirden is expected to be a strong candidate for the role, given MacLellan indicated to El-Bashir that the club has been grooming him for head coaching duties.
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