Barry Trotz agrees to become Islanders’ coach

Barry Trotz, the former Washington Capitals coach who resigned weeks after the team won the 2018 Stanley Cup, has agreed to terms to fill the same position with the New York Islanders, according to reports.

Pierre LeBrun, an NHL columnist for TSN and The Athletic, reported that the deal will pay Trotz more than $4 million per year.

Further to what @FriedgeHNIC is saying here, I’m told the deal with the Isles will pay more than $4 million per season for Trotz. A reminder that the extension in Washington would have paid $1.8 million per season. https://t.co/aFu8zqrUhR

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 21, 2018

Trotz said after the end of the season that he “absolutely” wanted to return to the Capitals on a new deal. It was later revealed that the coach’s contract had not actually expired as expected, because a clause granted him a two-year extension with a modest pay raise if the Capitals won the Stanley Cup during his tenure.

But that would have raised his annual pay to just $1.8 million, and Trotz, according to Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan, wanted to be paid in the range of the “top four or five” coaches in the league.

Trotz tendered his resignation on Monday. Not long after, he was spotted by eagle-eyed fans at airports in both Newark, New Jersey, and Seattle. Seattle is expected to be awarded an NHL expansion franchise later this year, while Newark could have served as a gateway for Trotz to head to Long Island for an interview.

The Islanders fired coach Doug Weight earlier this month, one of the first moves by new president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello. New York had the only vacant coaching position in the league besides Washington.

The Islanders, who play with the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division, went 35-37-10 last year and finished 17 standings points out of the wild card race.

This will be Trotz’s 20th season as a head coach and his third team. He coached the Nashville Predators for 15 seasons before coming to Washington.