Spencer Carbery arrived in Washington with the unenviable task of keeping the team competitive at the end of the Alex Ovechkin era, while also helping usher in the franchise’s next chapter.
Three years later, he’s led the Capitals to the playoffs in two of those seasons, steered Ovechkin to the NHL goals record, and received the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 2025.
Wednesday night, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta tweeted that the Capitals and Carbery had agreed on a multi-year deal that will keep Carbery with the club, presumably past Ovechkin’s NHL retirement.
Thursday morning, the Capitals officially announced the new deal.
“We are pleased to extend Spencer to a new multi-year contract,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said in a release. “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.”
Carbery has one year remaining on the original four-year contract he signed in 2023.
With Carbery at the helm, the Capitals have posted a record of 134-83-29 and a points percentage of .604 over the last three seasons, advancing past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs once, in 2025, when they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
The Victoria, British Columbia native became the fourth-quickest Capitals coach to reach 100 wins last season, trailing only Barry Trotz (159 games), Bruce Boudreau (164), and Peter Laviolette (175). Carbery needed just 183 games to hit the century mark, posting a record of 100-61-22 during that span. He is the 23rd-fastest head coach in league history to reach the milestone.
Formerly an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carbery was originally hired to replace Peter Laviolette after the Caps missed the postseason in 2022-23. Before eventually landing in DC, Carbery got his coaching start with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2010-11, spending six seasons there as an assistant, head coach, and director of hockey operations. Carbery then led the Hershey Bears for three seasons before getting his first big-league gig with the Leafs in 2021.
Carbery has found success at every level he’s coached, and is the only person in hockey history to win Coach of the Year in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL.
In May, he was a coach on Team Canada’s national team for the first time at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, serving as an assistant on Misha Donskov’s staff.
