Capitals, Carbery Agree To Extension

While this seems to be the offseason of change coming for the Washington Capitals, there won’t be any change behind the bench.

The team announced Thursday that they had agreed to a multi-year extension with coach Spencer Carbery, who had one year remaining on the original deal he signed after being hired from being a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach in 2023.

Carbery’s first two years in Washington were certainly memorable ones, with a pair of improbable playoff runs and netting a top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the team took a step back last year, as roster issues came to a head, as he struggled to put together a lineup at times, which helped lead to the team missing the postseason. Still, despite the subpar season, Washington recorded 95 points despite some turbulence, which was first out in the Eastern playoff pack.

Despite the miss, there seemed to be little chance the Capitals would make a change behind the bench, and now Carbery will be under contract past this season.

“We are pleased to extend Spencer to a new multi-year contract,” Capitals General Manager Chris Patrick said in a statement. “Since joining our organization, Spencer has played an important role in the development of many of our young players while also earning the respect and trust of our veteran leaders. His communication skills, strong relationship-building, and ability to connect with players at every stage of their careers have made him a great leader of our club.

“In addition, he has helped foster a positive and accountable culture within our team, creating an environment where players can grow and succeed. We have been extremely impressed with his commitment, professionalism, and passion for coaching, and we are excited to see him continue building on that success.”

Certainly, the Capitals have had longevity issues with coaches in the Ovechkin era, as the last coach to even last four seasons behind Washington’s bench was Barry Trotz, who lasted four years before he and the team split after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 – even though he was in hot water during that season with the team’s struggles after back-to-back Presidents’ Trophy seasons. Bruce Boudreau was the coach for five seasons with Washington, with three full seasons with the Capitals, and two partial seasons in his first and last season with Washington.

Caps Coaching History

The last coach to last five full seasons with the Capitals was Ron Wilson, who coached from 1997-98 to 2001-02, at the beginning of owner Ted Leonsis’ tenure in 1999.

Carbery certainly has had success in Washington, taking over a team that missed the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs and compiling a 134-83-29 record in his three seasons with the Capitals, and winning last year’s Jack Adams Award. But he also is now looking to take the Capitals to the next step, as despite winning the team’s first playoff series in seven years in 2025 over the Montreal Canadiens, the team came up well short in the next round against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The challenge ahead for Carbery will be to return the team to the postseason, with or without captain Alex Ovechkin, and get an offense going again that struggled badly at times last season.

Carbery, who ran the Leafs power play before arriving in Washington, also needs to try to get the Capitals’ extra-man going, as they finished 25th in the league and had long dry spells, which contributed to just missing the postseason cut.

Clearly, Washington management believes Carbery can connect with the team again, and with a changing roster, the big question is, after guiding the Capitals, what could have been a long rebuild process to a respectable three seasons, can he now take the next step, particularly with the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes in the Metro Division as well?