The Washington Capitals had a disappointing season, and it has resulted in some changes behind the bench. Peter Laviolette was already let go by the club and the team announced earlier today that his two assistant coaches would be leaving the organization as well. The Capitals finished the season with 80 points and missed the playoffs for just the second time since 2008, resulting in assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe losing their positions.
McCarthy was behind the Capitals bench for three seasons and has a lengthy resume on NHL benches. He has worked for the Capitals, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers in a coaching career that dates back to 1992. Forsythe has been with the Capitals his entire professional career, which dates back to 2006. He worked as a video coach before moving into a scouting role and then stepping behind the bench as an assistant in 2009. He has served in that role for the past 14 seasons, but the Capitals will look to shuffle the deck on the bench going forward.
- With the Detroit Red Wings season over, a couple of players have already committed to the upcoming World Championships. Lucas Raymond will suit up for Sweden, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The 21-year-old Raymond scored 17 goals and 45 points in 74 games for the Red Wings, following up his 57-point rookie season. The World Championships are set to take place in Finland and Latvia in May.
- Also heading to the World Championships from the Red Wings is Olli Maatta, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports. Maatta is a veteran defenseman who scored 23 points in 78 games for the Red Wings. The native of Jyvaskyla, Finland has a chance to perform in his home country and compete for a medal.
- Also of note, Darren Dreger of TSN reports Jason Karmanos is a sought-after general manager candidate. Karmanos is currently the assistant general manager of the Buffalo Sabres and has a long history of working in NHL front office roles, dating back to 1998 when he held the same position with the Carolina Hurricanes. Dreger mentions Karmanos could be an option to replace recently-fired Ron Hextall who was the GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Karmanos held roles as the VP of Hockey Operations as well as assistant general manager in Pittsburgh between 2014 and 2021.
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