Sources -- Capitals to hire Spencer Carbery as head next coach - ESPN

The Washington Capitals are hiring Spencer Carbery as their next head coach, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Carbery, 41, was one of the buzziest names on the coaching circuit. He most recently was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, running their power play. He now returns to the Washington Capitals organization, where he came up through the ranks coaching for their ECHL and AHL affiliates.

Sportsnet was first to report Carbery's hiring.

The Capitals parted with veteran Peter Laviolette this off-season after missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Laviolette's contract was not renewed after three seasons with the team; he has since interviewed for other vacancies in the division, including with the New York Rangers.

Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has promised captain Alex Ovechkin they will continue to chase Stanley Cups while he chases the NHL's all-time scoring record, though GM Brian MacLellan has begun engineering a retool in order for the team to get younger.

The Capitals lost 440 man games to injury last season.

In eight years as a head coach at the pro level, Carbery's teams have finished below .500 just once. His best work yet was engineering a 17-game point streak in 2018-19 that took the AHL Hershey Bears from last place to the playoffs. He has been a quick riser after winning ECHL Coach of the Year (2014) and AHL Coach of the Year (2021). Washington wanted to keep him on, but Carbery took an assistant job with the Maple Leafs in 2021. Since Carbery took over running the power play, Toronto has the league's second-best man-up unit (behind Edmonton).