Not really," said Trotz before his team faced the Islanders on Saturday night. "I was hoping I wouldn't get any reception, quite frankly. I don't mind being sort of anonymous."
Islanders fans took to Trotz immediately after he was hired in 2018, fresh off leading the Capitals to that franchise's only Stanley Cup. Hearing his name chanted after victories at Nassau Coliseum before the COVID-19 pandemic was common.
"That was fun," Mathew Barzal said. "That first year, we were pegged as being one of the bottom teams in the league and we end up going to the [playoffs'] second round. I think Barry does a great job of bringing everybody together. I think he's going to be a great GM because he understands culture."
"He did a lot for this group in terms of showing us what we're capable of. He instilled a sense of confidence and belief in ourselves," said Cal Clutterbuck, before being asked about Trotz's comment to the Capitals. "That was a public thing. He had been talking to us that way for a long time.
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