![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/trotz1k-1.jpg\" "\\"Washington")
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DULLES, Va. \u2014 Barry Trotz thought of mentors and friends Jack Button, Tommy Ebright, David Poile and Wayne Fleming when he lifted the Stanley Cup over his head. <\/p>\n
The Washington coach didn\u2019t think about his future, the same approach he has taken all season and playoffs. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t getting consumed with what was said, what my future holds, whatever,\u201d Trotz said. \u201cI\u2019m in a pretty good spot.\u201d <\/p>\n
Trotz was in as good a spot as imaginable Friday as he and the Capitals landed back home in the Washington area with the Stanley Cup in tow. The celebration will last through the parade Tuesday, but once that\u2019s done, the work begins for Brian MacLellan to try to re-sign Trotz, top defenceman John Carlson and other free agents. <\/p>\n
After not extending Trotz\u2019s contract last summer, ownership and general manager Brian MacLellan now hope to keep him around. MacLellan said after winning the Cup that Trotz will be back if he wants to be. <\/p>\n
Trotz and Carlson, who set a franchise record for playoff points by a defenceman, can be free agents July 1 along with unlikely post-season hero Devante Smith-Pelly, trade-deadline acquisition Michal Kempny and longtime glue guy Jay Beagle. Washington will have to do some salary-cap manoeuvring to keep Carlson, Smith-Pelly and Kempny in the fold but can break the bank for Trotz. <\/p>\n
Following a roller-coaster, lame-duck season with presumed coach-in-waiting Todd Reirden still on staff, Trotz was asked if he saw a future for himself with the Capitals. He said: \u201cOh, absolutely. Absolutely.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI love what I do in Washington,\u201d Trotz said. \u201cI love the guys. I\u2019m just in a good spot, a good place.\u201d <\/p>\n
Offseason priority No. 1 for owner Ted Leonsis and MacLellan is signing Trotz to a new deal \u2014 if he wants to stay. It\u2019ll cost them. <\/p>\n
Toronto\u2019s Mike Babcock is the highest-paid coach in the NHL at $6.25 million a year, Chicago\u2019s Joel Quenneville is next at $6 million and Montreal\u2019s Claude Julien third at $5 million. Trotz will soon have his name on the Stanley Cup like them and should approach that price. <\/p>\n
Carlson will exceed it after leading all defencemen with 68 points in the regular season and the 20 in the playoffs. The 28-year-old right-shot defenceman trails only elite New York Islanders centre John Tavares in free agent interest and is likely to command $8 million-plus on a long-term deal after how well he played this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cTypically a big dog on the back end takes most of the responsibility. John\u2019s definitely one of the big dogs,\u201d said Capitals winger T.J. Oshie, who just completed the first season of a $46 million, eight-year deal. \u201cBut it seems like that\u2019s shared a little bit with (Matt) Niskanen and (Dmitry) Orlov being able to play against other teams\u2019 top lines as well. We\u2019ve got a 1, 1A and 1B I think. We\u2019re sitting pretty good back there.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Capitals would be sitting pretty if the salary cap goes up to as high as $82 million because it gives them more room to keep the top four of Carlson, Orlov, Niskanen and Kempny together. If it stays closer to this year\u2019s $75 million, they could have trouble keeping this championship roster together. <\/p>\n
Smith-Pelly will no doubt earn a raise from the $650,000 league-minimum deal he signed last summer after matching his regular-season goal output with seven goals in the playoffs. Kempny will also cost more than $900,000 \u2014 a bargain salary that allowed the cap-strapped Capitals to afford to add him at the deadline. <\/p>\n
Even if Trotz is back and Carlson signs an eight-year deal, changes of course will happen. <\/p>\n
Coming off goaltender Braden Holtby\u2019s resurgence to help lead the Capitals to the Cup, backup Philipp Grubauer will likely be traded to a team that wants to give him the chance to start. If Trotz stays, Reirden would likely be allowed to pursue a head or associate coaching job elsewhere. <\/p>\n
The Capitals found out this season that sometimes change is good. They lost Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson, Nate Schmidt, Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk and Daniel Winnik last summer and got better. <\/p>\n
They might look a little different when they raise a Stanley Cup banner to the rafters in October but enjoyed some success with integrating new players. <\/p>\n
\u201cBringing in (Alex) Chiasson, Smith-Pelly, guys that had no connection to past failures, it definitely relaxed (us),\u201d veteran defenceman Brooks Orpik said. \u201cIt was having some of those younger guys and new guys, and then the other part of it was people doubting us at the beginning of the year \u2014 not being expected to win I think really helped out and really put the group at ease. We enjoyed winning a lot more this year.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"