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Trotz looks forward to next coaching gig as teams line up

Barry Trotz

Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz answers questions at a news conference Monday, April 14, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. The Predators announced earlier in the day that Trotz’s contract won’t be extended and they will begin looking for a new head coach. Trotz is the only head coach the NHL hockey team has had. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Barry Trotz coached the Nashville Predators for 16 seasons before they decided to go in a different direction. It’s the only NHL team he’s ever been the bench boss of, but he’s hoping that changes soon.

“I’m a coach,” Trotz told CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada Radio. “That’s what I do and I got lots of juice right now.”

He’s giving consideration to any team that expresses an interest in him and it sounds like that list isn’t short. Washington, Carolina, and Florida have all reached out to Trotz, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. There’s also speculation that he might end up in Vancouver.

It’s likely that he’ll end up with a team that has more top-end forwards than Nashville did in 2013-14 -- which admittedly isn’t saying much. It might lead to questions about how, for example, Alex Ovechkin will adjust to a defensive-minded coach, but Trotz would argue against that premise.

“I’ve been labeled as a defensive coach, but we’ve been built in the backend in Nashville,” Trotz said.

He believes that the system he coaches should be reflective of the talent he’s given. He has no problem playing a fast game if the roster warrants it. He pointed to the two campaigns that Nashville had Paul Kariya when the Predators ranked 11th and fifth in goals per game as evidence that his teams can be offensively minded.

We might see another example of that in 2014-15.

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