Washington Capitals Assistant Coach Jay Leach will not return next season, according to the Washington Post.
“It was a mutual decision,” McPhee said. “He’s a good man and a good coach and he helped us get to where we are.”
Coach Bruce Boudreau’s other two assistants, Dean Evason and Dave
Prior, will return next season. Boudreau inherited Leach, Evason and
Prior when he took over in Nov. 2007.
Given the suspect play of the defense at times this season, particularly in the playoffs, Leach’s non-return really is no surprise. The Caps defense has been criticized for non-aggressive play, allowing opposing players to park in front of the net, allowing too many shots ion goal, and overall inconsistency in performance. No word on who will replace Leach yet.
The Caps have announced the signing of a three year entry deal for prospect Jake Hauswirth. Hauswirth played in the USHL minor hockey league the past two seasons.
Hauswirth, 21, is a 6’5″, 210-pound native of Merrill, Wis., who has
spent the last two seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the United States
Hockey League (USHL). He scored 28 goals and added 24 assists (52
points) in 58 games this season, tied for the team lead in goals and
fourth in points. He led all Lancer forwards and was second on the team
with a +16 plus/minus rating.
As reported over a week ago, here is a little more information on Victor Kozlov and his possible return to Russia.
I just spoke with Caps general manager George McPhee. He has not had
any confirmation of Viktor Kozlov signing with a KHL team. McPhee also
had no update on contract negotiations with Sergei Fedorov
If you are reading this with concern, don’t. There is no doubt that Feds and Koz played pretty vital roles over the past two seasons for the Caps. But, they are both players now the Caps can upgrade over, either via free agency or through the system. You can’t expect any franchise to get much better if they do not plan roster upgrades where needed. Koz was pretty much inconsistent all season, shining for games at a stretch, but disappearing for even longer stretches. The Caps have a salary cap to deal with, roster needs, and roster upgrades to do. Koz and Feds are two such players that can be upgraded.
Loading ...
FanSided
NFLMocks.com
