Islanders move closer to cleaning house
When New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow fired his coach Jack Capuano on Tuesday, he had to be thinking that he may be next.
“I don’t even worry about that,” Snow said. “I just worry about what I have to do on a day-to-day basis, whether it is preparing for a draft, being a support system for players, coaches or trainers.”
Whether Snow worries or not, the Islanders’ deep drop in the standings this season seems like a bigger problem than can be remedied by a coaching switch.
The Islanders have hired associate coach Doug Weight to be interim head coach with the hope that he can inspire the team to play at a higher level.
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“Sometimes just a new voice in the room can be a little bit of a difference, a little bit of a spark or edge for the team,” Snow said. “We are trying to create that.”
The Islanders finished 45-27-10 last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. This season, even after beating the Boston Bruins 4-0 Monday, they are in last place (17-17-8) in the Eastern Conference.
It’s not as if the players quit on Capuano or that he forgot how to be an effective coach. He has guided the team into the playoffs three out of the past four seasons.
“Jack is an excellent coach,” Snow said. “Unfortunately when you get in the situation we are in as a team sometimes the easiest decision is to make a change.”
Snow said sometimes coaches are “victims of circumstances.” In this case, the circumstance is that the roster Capuano had to work with wasn’t as strong as the one he had last season.
The loss of Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Matt Martin to free agency has played a role in the Islanders’ predicament. It’s not that those players were irreplaceable, but the moves that Snow made to replace them haven’t made up for their absence. The Islanders have sorely missed Nielsen's versatility in particular.
The signing of Andrew Ladd was the Islanders’ most significant offseason move and he has 12 points in 41 games.
Asked how much responsibility he accepts about the Islanders’ collapse this season, Snow said: “One hundred percent. I don’t think there is a player on our roster that I haven’t had a hand in drafting, picking up on off waivers, or (acquired through a) trade or free agent signing. Same with the staff. Obviously I’m not hiding from the fact that it starts from me.”
Snow said Islanders ownership was consulted in the decision to fire Capuano. “This is an organizational decision,” Snow said. “It’s not a dictatorship.”
Snow said he still had confidence in the players and coaching staff, and that the move was made now because there is still time to "right the ship."
What he didn’t say, is that his future may be tied to Weight’s ability to make the Islanders competitive again.
More is at stake than just the playoffs. Captain John Tavares will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. To get him to re-up with the Islanders, Tavares will need to believe the team is headed in the right direction.
Before this season, it seemed as if Snow had done an impressive job in building the Islanders into a contender. But that may not save him at the end of season. Just like Capuano’s previous good work didn’t save him.
