When Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin took over majority control from Charles Wang on July 1, they promised changes. Ledecky, the public face of the organization, said improvements would be made at Barclays Center to enhance and improve the fan's experience.
However, they neglected to improved the product on the ice. The team played Monday's night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning looking to get Jack Capuano fired. The only good news to come out of Monday night was that the season series with the Bolts is mercifully over. The Isles being outscored 14-2 in the three-game sweep.
#tblightning Kucherov on sweeping season series w #Isles: "I wish we could play them more."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) November 15, 2016
Islander fans can't even take issue with Kucherov's comments. Tampa Bay has become the hammer to the Islanders' nail, the Globetrotters to the Washington Generals and finally, Negan to Rick. Fans should not even take issue with head coach Jack Capuano. This falls directly on the shoulders of general manager Garth Snow.
The Islanders have three days between games. The team is off today and will practice Wednesday and Thursday. Snow is off in Toronto at the GM meetings. Unless Garth is coming through customs with a new coach and a first-line winger, Capuano is not going anywhere. Today would have been the perfect day to introduce a new coach. The last time Snow made a coaching change was six years to do the date. 10 games into a 14-game losing streak, Snow sent Scott Gordon packing. Capuano was likely to be a placeholder during the rebuild. You do not drive on a donut for six years. The first red flag this summer was when Frans Nielsen signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
"They [the Islanders] gave me a really fair offer," Nielsen said on Sportsnet. "And to be honest it was one of the toughest decisions I've ever had to make. I think, in the end, I've been [with the Islanders] so long. I wanted to try something new, see some new people, new coaches, and you want to get better, even when you're older. This was a good opportunity for me to see something else.
It's understandable that a coaching change was not going to be made following the team's first playoff-series win since 1993. The team was planning on taking the next step this season. It looks like that step is backwards.
The Snow-Capuano duo has the second-longest tenure in the NHL. The longest, the Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville in Chicago. That duo has three Stanley Cups. The Isles duo, one series win.
It is time for Ledecky, who said this summer that his goal is a "fifth cup" to step up and clean house, since apparently Snow and Capuano share one.