This just in, days after dismissing head coach Peter Laviolette, the Washington Capitals have announced that they’ve dismissed assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe, as well.
While Laviolette and McCarthy had only been with the team for three years apiece, this firing marks the end of 17 seasons for Forsythe with the Capitals. He joined the team in 2006 as a video coach and has worked his way up the ladder to assistant coach since 2010. Tough news for him.
“We want to sincerely thank Kevin and Blaine for their efforts and contributions to the Capitals during their respective tenures and wish them all the best moving forward,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “Blaine has been a dedicated member of our organization for 17 seasons and was instrumental in helping the franchise capture its first Stanley Cup in 2018.
With the Capitals missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the news of these firings should really come as no surprise. In fact, I’d venture to say that this is just the start of major changes in DC. I expect GM Brian MacLellan to be very busy this offseason in re-shaping his team’s roster. So long as captain Alexander Ovechkin is upright and able to put on a Caps jersey, you just KNOW that this team won’t settle for anything less than Stanley Cup contention. Frankly, I think they’ll be a fascinating team to watch this offseason and then into next season. They could either take a step forward or a step backward based on their offseason moves. Stay tuned.