The moment that Barry Trotz was relieved of his duties as head coach of the New York Islanders, speculation began about where he would head next. The Winnipeg Jets seemed like an obvious possibility because of their current vacancy and Trotz’s connection to the area. The Winnipeg-born Trotz not only played junior and college hockey in Manitoba, but also started his coaching career there, first with the University of Manitoba and then with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
The connection now is more than just speculation, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Jets are interviewing Trotz for their head coaching position Tuesday.
Of course, in this scenario, a meeting may be just as much Trotz interviewing management as Winnipeg interviewing him. The veteran coach is expected to have his pick of several spots after being a surprise addition to the pool of candidates this summer. After 1,812 games as a head coach in the NHL, a 2018 Stanley Cup championship and two conference finals appearances in the last three years, it’s difficult to find a more well-respected name in the league. Trotz won the Jack Adams Award as the best head coach in the NHL in both 2016 and 2019, and has an overall record of 914-670-60-168 despite starting his career with the expansion Nashville Predators, which struggled for several years before becoming a consistent playoff contender.
In Winnipeg, the Jets are looking for a replacement following Paul Maurice’s stunning resignation earlier this year. Dave Lowry stepped in to the head coaching role on an interim basis, but the club wasn’t able to take a step forward and get back into the playoff race. For a club that had huge expectations before the season began and isn’t likely to face a rebuild, a coach like Trotz seems like a perfect match to get it back to contender quickly.
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