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New York Islanders: 3 head coach candidates to replace Doug Weight

By Dave Stevenson

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 02: New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight addresses the media following a 6-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens at Barclays Center on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 02: New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight addresses the media following a 6-3 loss against the Montreal Canadiens at Barclays Center on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images
Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images /

Here are several candidates the New York Islanders should consider to replace Doug Weight as their head coach

It didn’t take long for New York Islanders President of Hockey Operations Lou Lamoriello to make an impact on the Islanders. On Tuesday, June 5, the Isles announced general manager Garth Snow and head coach Doug Weight have been relieved of their duties. Lamoriello will take over as the general manager.

This is a huge and necessary change for the Islanders. It proves that they’re serious about needing to change the way things are done in the organization. Most importantly, pending how they fill the head coach vacancy, it likely helps the Islanders’ chances of re-signing captain John Tavares.

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The Isles will have to strike quick, as NHL free agency begins in under a month. There’s no way Tavares will sign an extension without knowing who will be at the helm behind the bench. The Islanders can’t afford to botch this hiring. And there are some quality guys available. So let’s take a look at three potential candidates for the Islanders’ head coaching job.

3. Alain Vigneault

The good: You can’t deny Vigneault’s track record of success. He’s taken two teams to the Stanley Cup Finals (Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers). Vigneault is highly respected around the league. Though his methods are questionable at times, he wins games, which is what teams care about.

Vigneault makes sense for a team like the Islanders who want to win now. He’s also familiar with the challenges associated with being a head coach in New York.

The bad: Moving forward, the Islanders are going to have to get more out of their young players. Vigneault has proven this is not his forte. Because of his track record, the Isles will unquestionably be interested in him. That said, Islanders fans should be rooting for their team to stay away from him.

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