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New York Islanders Wisely Make Doug Weight Their Head Coach

By Nick Ziegler

Mar 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight (top) reacts after a video review disallowed an Islanders goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Islanders won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight (top) reacts after a video review disallowed an Islanders goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the PPG PAINTS Arena. The Islanders won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Islanders have removed the interim tag from head coach Doug Weight. Was this the right decision?

It was a tale of two seasons for the New York Islanders. After an offseason that brought a lot of change to New York, the Islanders got off to a very slow start.

In the 2015-16 season, the Islanders were able to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season, and they even advanced to the second round for the first time since 1993. Despite the success, the Islanders had a very different looking team this season compared to last.

With Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, and Frans Nielsen all leaving in free agency, the Islanders lost a lot of key pieces to their success. Replacing them in free agency was most notably Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera.

With some young players and new faces, the Islanders looked like a team that lacked chemistry for a good chunk of the season under Jack Capuano. With new ownership and team that was one of the worst in the NHL after being a playoff team the year before, the Islanders wisely fired head coach Jack Capuano.

Some could argue that the decision to fire Capuano should have come much sooner. However, they did eventually part ways with one of the most winning coaches in the history of the franchise.

To replace him, the Islanders called upon assistant coach Doug Weight. It was easy to see rather quickly, that the Islanders were a much better team under Weight. As a former player and teammate of John Tavares, the captain was certainly behind his head coach 100 percent.

With Weight as the coach, the Islanders were able to go on a great run to end the season, and they nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite being so poor to start the season. As the head coach, Weight totaled a 24-12-4 record with the Islanders.

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Not shockingly, the Islanders have announced that Weight has had his interim tag removed, and will be the head coach next season. This is certainly a wise move for the franchise, as Weight deserved it. Now, the Islanders will have a long offseason to prepare for the 2017-18 season.

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