A familiar name is the frontrunner for the Washington Capitals head coach job, according to a report.
Spencer Carbery, who was the head coach of the Hershey Bears from 2018-21, is the favorite, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“Everybody kind of thinks that Washington is the team to beat here, that they’re the ones who are the most eager to get him,” Friedman said on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. “I think we’ll see an answer to that pretty soon.”
Carbery, 41, has been an in-demand candidate for vacancies around the league. Coming off his third season as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s also interviewed with the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks, according to additional reports, but is viewed as the candidate to beat for the Capitals job, according to Friedman.
Also in play for the Capitals head coach job is Jeff Halpern, who was linked to the team in early May. Friedman noted that Halpern, who was the first candidate publicly linked to the vacancy, is meeting with Washington this week for a second interview, but he is not sure whether that is the case.
Halpern, 47, is a 14-year NHL veteran, including seven seasons in Washington. A DMV native, he’s been an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2018.
Outside of the two, Flyers assistant Brad Shaw has also spoken with the Capitals about the opening.
The Capitals head coaching job has been vacant since April 14, when the front office and Peter Laviolette mutually parted ways after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
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