Barry Trotz thanked the Washington hockey community, but made a critical remark about “the business aspect” of his move from the Capitals to the New York Islanders in a brief introductory conference call Thursday afternoon.
“When it came to the business aspect, I was willing to listen,” Trotz said. “From my standpoint, I felt that it wasn’t very sincere what we did together. I decided it was better to just move on.”
It appeared that “what we did together” meant Trotz’s contract negotiations with the Washington Capitals, not his time coaching the team. Trotz thanked Capitals fans and said “you couldn’t ask for a better situation” for his family than the Washington region.
But feelings may have soured when Trotz was not offered much more than $1.8 million per year to remain with the Capitals. Trotz resigned earlier this week and was officially announced as the Islanders’ new coach Thursday.
“I talked to the Capitals. I was very thankful for the opportunity. We did something very special together,” Trotz said. “My agent reached out to different people as it became a little bit public real quickly. We got the call from Lou (Lamoriello of the Islanders) and we met and we had a fantastic discussion.”
Trotz confirmed that he was seeking a bigger pay raise from the Capitals on his two-year contract extension for winning the Stanley Cup. The team wanting him back was not the issue, he said, but the “principle” of the situation.
“I went to the Caps and said, ’You know, it’s a little unfair based on value around the league. Just tell me if anything could be done,’” he said. “When I got the response, I knew it was time to go in a different direction. I thanked them. They were nothing but first class.”
Trotz mentioned that Capitals assistant coach Lane Lambert might join his staff with the Islanders.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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