Spencer Carbery is off the board of available Rangers coaching candidates.
The Capitals snatched up one of the most coveted coaching options this summer in Carbery and named him the 20th head coach in the organization’s history, the team announced Tuesday morning.
Carbery, who interviewed with the Rangers for their head coaching vacancy, will now embark on his first opportunity as an NHL bench boss.
The 41-year-old served as an assistant in Toronto the past two seasons.
According to multiple reports, Carbery’s deal is for four years.
Sportsnet was the first to report Carbery’s hiring.
The Rangers’ coaching search is now into its fourth week after the organization parted ways with Gerard Gallant following their first-round exit from the playoffs this season.
President and general manager Chris Drury said he wasn’t going to limit the team’s options to any specific type of style or experience level, which indicates the Rangers could really take this hire in any direction.
With Carbery off the board, the Rangers still have Jay Leach and Peter Laviolette as candidates they’re known to be interested in.
Leach would also be a first-time NHL coach if hired after serving as an assistant on David Hakstol’s staff in Seattle the last two seasons.
On the other hand, Laviolette is the safest and most established option.
The Capitals dismissed Laviolette in mid-April after the team missed the playoffs.
Laviolette has already coached half of the eight Metropolitan Division teams – Capitals, Flyers, Hurricanes and Islanders – over his 21 seasons coaching in the NHL.
