Carbery leaves Leafs for Capitals

Spencer Carbery got his start in coaching in the minors, with the Washington Capitals watching closely. They liked what they saw. And on Tuesday, they brought him back to fill the job they envisioned he would get.

The Capitals hired Carbery as head coach, ending a search for Peter Laviolette’s successor by landing on a favourite of the organization. Later, the Nashville Predators also made a coaching switch: firing John Hynes and reportedly agreeing to terms with Andrew Brunette.

Carbery spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Maple Leafs, running the power play that ranked second in the league over that time. Before that, he was considered the heir apparent to Laviolette having worked for the Capitals’ top minor-league affiliate, the Hershey Bears.

Now he’s tasked with getting Washington back into the playoffs with an aging roster, while Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record.

Carbery coached Hershey for three years before joining Sheldon Keefe’s NHL staff in Toronto. Now at 41, Carbery usurps Keefe as the youngest coach in the league.

The Capitals chose him from a pool of candidates that also included former captain/Tampa Bay assistant Jeff Halpern, Philadelphia associate coach Brad Shaw and others with more experience.