How will Peter Laviolette fit in to this veteran Washington Capitals team?

The Washington Capitals hired Laviolette in mid-September shortly after parting ways with Todd Reirden.

Washington Capitals GM, Brian MacLellan, said that Peter Laviolette brings “structure” and the team is lucky he was “available at a time of need for our organization.”

Laviolette is a veteran coach with a successful track record. He has been an NHL head coach since 2001 where he started with the New York Islanders. Since then he has coached 17 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes, Flyers, and Predators.

In 2006 he won his first and only Stanley Cup with Carolina. Later, he coached the Flyers to a Stanley Cup Final in 2010, and the Predators in 2017. Laviolette is the fourth coach in NHL history to lead three teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.

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A respected name in the hockey community, Laviolette is only the second coach with NHL head coaching experience to be hired by the Capitals during the Alex Ovechkin era. The other was Barry Trotz, and we saw how that worked out. Trotz demanded respect and hard work from his veterans every year. Caps fans should expect to see the same from Laviolette.

One question on everyone’s mind is, how will he get along with Ovechkin? The truth is, a younger Ovi might not have responded to Laviolette’s coaching style in a positive manner. However, the mature Ovechkin we know today is the fearless leader committed to success. Under the leadership of Trotz, Ovechkin developed a team-first mentality that will pair well with Laviolette. They both want one thing, another Stanley Cup. This goal will put Laviolette, Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Henrik Lundqvist, and the Caps vets all on the same page.

In past years, the relationship between the Capitals core players, including Ovechkin, Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, and the head coach has proven crucial to their personal and team success.

One common thread among less successful coaches, and with Todd Reirden, was often a lack of structure. Reirden was well-liked, but he just did not demand the best out of his players. Rather, he coached and hoped.

Relying on the Stanley Cup roster built by MacLellan and Trotz, the sense was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Of course, he wasn’t completely wrong. During his time as coach, the Caps were back-to-back Metro division champs. However, as we all know, it takes much more to win the cup.

Now enter Laviolette. Known for a focus on discipline and holding players accountable, Laviolette also develops and pushes his players. He gives young players a chance to prove themselves and is willing to do what it takes when he needs to send a message to the veterans.

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Both of these will traits will benefit the Caps, who have a quality pool of young players skilled veterans, such as Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana, who can benefit from the extra motivation. The challenge will be for the Caps to quickly adjust to Laviolette’s system – and that may take some time. That said, fans need to look for a pattern of continual improvement, depth, and strength that will sustain the Caps through the long haul.

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