Now that Doug Weight has been fired “relieved” of head coaching duties, who will be the next New York Islanders head coach? For starters, unlike the last eight years, the Islanders coach will not be a former interim/assistant man. Once Garth Snow gave Weight the non-interim title, Weight assembled quite the staff of assistants to go with promoted associate coach Greg Conin. Scott Gomez. Kelly Buchberger. Luke Richardson. You can bet those guys aren’t going to be named head coach — although Buchberger and particularly Richardson have been seen as NHL head coaching candidates in the past. No official word from the #Isles ahead of the Lamoriello conference call, but it appears that Doug Weight's entire coaching staff has also been let go. Not a surprise given the earlier announcements. — Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 5, 2018 Smart money is on General Manager Lou Lamoriello bringing in his own man from outside. Who he selects will ultimately tell us a lot about how much new thinking the 75-year-old is bringing to his third stint as an NHL general manager. Some possibilities? Here are some ideas, informed strictly by what’s out there, what’s been talked about before Tuesday’s news hit, and what will get you, the reader, debating and raving: The Up and Comers Sheldon Keefe This is by no means a slam dunk, but plug Keefe, a former NHL forward, into the “progressive thinking” camp. He is considered forward-thinking, and he’s had great success developing players and winning at the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies. (He’s also had tons of resources and outstanding young and veteran players with which to succeed at that level.) And of course, Lamoriello would know Keefe’s work well, having just come from the Maple Leafs. Opportunities are fleeting in the NHL — just ask Weight -- and it’s foolish to think Mike Babcock is ready to step away from the Leafs anytime soon. So Keefe is likely to jump at an NHL opportunity before too long. DJ Smith Sticking with the Leafs organization, DJ Smith is also well regarded and seen as an up-and-comer. Smith is known for his OHL Calder Cup championship behind Oshawa’s bench — defeating Connor McDavid and Erie — but he garners high praise from Babcock, who wouldn’t stand in his way of a head gig: “I always look when I’m hiring for serial winners: Wherever they’ve gone, they’ve won,” Babcock said, in that Sportsnet article on Smith. Todd Reirden You know how the Islanders defensive structure and discipline completely stunk under Weight? Todd Reirden would fix that. And the Capitals associate coach is in an interesting spot. He was promoted from the AHL to Barry Trotz’s staff and then later from assistant to associate in part because, as with Smith and Keefe, he was seen as an heir apparent to an NHL job. But Trotz has been with the Capitals for a while, with repeated playoff stalls until this season, where the Caps as of today are one win away from the Stanley Cup. Trotz is reportedly on an expiring contract, with everyone previously expecting Reardon to take over. Their Cup run complicates things. If a Cup victory means Reirden means Trotz stays, then would he ask to get a shot elsewhere? Which brings us to... Old Timers Barry Trotz Even if the Capitals win, maybe the team and Trotz agree to part ways on top? He’s long been seen as a successful coach with the Predators — where he did a lot with a little — and the Capitals but couldn’t get either team past the second round. Until this year. Still, if those two parties say the relationship has been great but it’s time for a fresh start, then Trotz might be ready for a new challenge. And an expiring contract would mean no barrier to him joining an in-division rival. Larry Robinson Robinson is still often cited as an ideal coaching candidate because of his previous stints with the Kings and Devils, where he won a Cup. However, last time he was in the running for jobs, word was he didn’t want to relocate after ending a five-year association with the San Jose Sharks. Situations change, and he and Lamoriello have a succesful history. You never know. Scott Stevens Would Stevens even want this? Ever since Lamoriello was hired by the Islanders, hockey media put Stevens’ name in the mix as potentially helping out the Islanders defense. But he left his last stint as an assistant in Minnesota, where he was otherwise quite happy (at least according to his public statements), because he didn’t want to live and travel so far from family. Being in New York might change that, and maybe another year’s time — plus the opportunity to work with Lamoriello again — has altered the situation. Consider him a candidate for the bench one way or another. Ken Hitchcock Ha! Ha. Notice a theme here? All of these candidates are known for defensive acumen, although literally any coaching candidate would look like a defensive savior relative to how the Islanders played last season. Hitchcock, who had previously said his final year with the Blues would be his final season of head coaching, then went on to a one-year coaching return with the Stars before again saying that was it. He remains with the Stars in an advisory capacity and that sounds like a legit desire. So doubt he returns to coaching. But the lure of the competition for some of these guys never dies... Still, we mention him here only because he’s been brought up like every single time someone has been upset with Islanders coaching over the last decade. Joel Quenneville Quenneville is staying in Chicago. That’s the word. But their core is starting to age, the team is on a downward trend, they’ve messed with his staff multiple times there, and owner Rocky Wirtz literally just said the other day that if they get off to a bad start next season there will be changes. For a guy who guided them to three Stanley Cups, maybe he wants a little more sway than that?<doc-sep>Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press The New York Islanders announced the firing of general manager Garth Snow and head coach Doug Weight from their positions Tuesday. Islanders president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello will take over as GM and lead the search to find the Isles' new head coach. Snow and Weight will remain with the team in different roles. "The New York Islanders would like to thank both Garth and Doug for their dedication to the franchise," Lamoriello said. "Both started their tenures with the franchise as players and grew as tremendous leaders to the positions they held." Snow took over as general manager following his NHL retirement in July 2006 after a 12-year playing career as a goaltender. The Isles qualified for the playoffs just four times across his 12 seasons as GM and never advanced beyond the second round in those postseason appearances. In April, Snow said he planned to return for the 2018-19 season. "For me, 2006 when I took over this position, it was a situation where it was an all-out rebuild where we had to bring in talent through the draft," he told reporters. "Now we're in a situation where we feel we can compete for a Stanley Cup." Video Play Button Videos you might like Weight took over as head coach following the dismissal of Jack Capuano in January 2017. He compiled a 59-49-14 record during his time in charge. The team didn't make the playoffs either season. Lamoriello, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, previously served as general manager of the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was demoted by the Leafs in April and subsequently left the organization in May to join the Islanders. Now he'll lead the Isles through a crucial offseason, with star center John Tavares eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.<doc-sep>Now that president of hockey operations Lou Lamoriello has relieved general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight of their duties and named himself GM, here are some potential candidates to be the next Islanders coach: Sheldon Keefe The 37-year-old former NHLer, in his third season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ top affiliate, is considered a hot prospect among minor-league coaches and has his team in the Calder Cup Finals. Lamoriello was the Maple Leafs’ GM the past three seasons. John Madden Madden, 45, won two Stanley Cups with Lamoriello’s Devils and his unselfish, scrappy play fit the Lamoriello mold very well. He’s coached the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ top affiliate, the past two seasons and was previously a Florida Panthers assistant coach. Scott Stevens Stevens, 54, captained the Devils to three Stanley Cups and served both as a Devils assistant and tri-coach along with Lamoriello and Adam Oates in 2014-15. He was a Minnesota Wild assistant coach in 2016-17 before returning to the New Jersey area for family reasons but is still believed to be interested in coaching. Brent Sutter The former Islanders captain, 55, hasn’t coached in the NHL since leaving the Calgary Flames in 2012 and is currently a junior hockey GM/coach. But he coached the Devils for two seasons under Lamoriello and the Sutter brothers have always been popular on Long Island. Barry Trotz The Capitals, up 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Final, wouldn’t really let a Cup-winning coach go, would they? But the speculation all season in Washington was this would be Trotz’s last season behind the Caps’ bench regardless of the results in order to make room for highly regarded assistant Todd Reirden and if the 55-year-old, an NHL head coach since 1988, is available, it might certainly intrigue Lamoriello. D.J. Smith The Maple Leafs’ highly regarded assistant coach under Mike Babcock, and Lamoriello, the past three seasons. Smith, 41, earned the most votes in an NHL Players Association poll last season asking which current assistant should be a head coach.<doc-sep>A look at potential candidates for the Islanders’ head-coaching vacancy after Lou Lamoriello on Tuesday fired coach Doug Weight and GM Garth Snow: Alain Vigneault: Having just been fired by the Rangers after five mostly successful years (with some veteran-heavy teams), Vigneault might be the most polished candidate available. The biggest hump would be convincing the Islanders he can develop young players. Dave Tippett: It has always been a focus of Lamoriello to have a team that defends, and Tippet, with more than 1,000 games coached in the NHL, always had a defense-first mentality. Sheldon Keefe: Lamoriello would enjoy poaching the 37-year-old Keefe from the Maple Leafs’ AHL farm team after Toronto moved Lamoriello out of the GM role. Barry Trotz: Despite being just one win away from a Stanley Cup victory, the Capitals might decide not to give Trotz a new contract after this one expires at the end of the season. Darryl Sutter: A low-key personality to fit Lamoriello’s wants, Sutter might be drawn off his ranch in Alberta to gun for a third Stanley Cup, having won two with the Kings. He could turn it into a brotherly bench with Brent, a former Islanders captain. John Madden: The gritty two-way center who won two Stanley Cups with Lamoriello’s Devils has been coaching AHL Cleveland for the past two seasons. Scott Stevens: Another former Devil, the three-time Cup winner once split the bench duties in New Jersey with Lamoriello and Adam Oates in 2014-15.<doc-sep>
With Doug Weight being relieved of his duties, here are three candidates to be the next New York Islanders head coach. The New York Islanders made a couple big changes on Tuesday, with head coach Doug Weight and general manager Garth Snow being relieved of their duties. The recent hire of Lou Lamoriello as President of Hockey Operations surely put Snow on the hot seat, and Weight only lasted one full season behind the bench. Lamoriello will take over general manager duties, and Snow and Weight will apparently remain with the organization in some capacity. Snow had been the general manager since 2006, but the team only made the playoffs four times in his tenure with just one postseason series win. The Islanders went 24-12-4 when Weight took over in the middle of the 2016-17 season for Jack Capuano. But a second straight season out of the playoffs this year seems to have finally sealed Snow’s fate, and Weight’s by connection. Lamoriello now has two big priorities on his agenda. Islanders center John Tavares is the top unrestricted free agent available this offseason, and he was reportedly pleased by the hiring of Lamoriello. Now a search for a new head coach is coming, with re-signing Tavares as an important and critical element in that. Lamoriello has said he doesn’t view the Islanders as a rebuilding job, which should be music to the ears of any proven candidates to replace Weight. With the NHL draft and free agency coming before we know it, here are three candidates to be the next New York Islanders head coach. 3. Sheldon Keefe Keefe has been the head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for the last three seasons, with a 150-63 regular season record (.704 win percentage). The Marlies are in the Calder Cup Final right now, with Game 3 of that best-of-7 series Tuesday against the Texas Stars. The Marlies are the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s notable because Lamoriello just left that organization, after nearly three total years as general manager and then as a special advisor, and so he probably has some familiarity with Keefe. Keefe was a potential candidate for openings with the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars during this year’s primary hiring cycle. The Islanders creating a later than usual opening for their job should work to their benefit, alongside Lamoriello’s presence, if Keefe is ready to make the jump to the NHL as the Marlies’ playoff run winds down.