This is part of New York Islanders day at PHT…
The dreaded hot seat.
It’s a popular saying in the sports world, describing the plight of a coach or general manager that could run the risk of possibly losing their job if their team doesn’t soon turn it around.
Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is no stranger to this. In fact, his times on the hot seat were outlined in detail last summer at PHT.
Yet, despite the chatter, Capuano has remained bench boss of the Islanders for five full seasons, three of which resulted in playoff appearances. This year, the Islanders, led by the outstanding play of their star John Tavares, defeated the Panthers in the first round, advancing to the second round of the post-season for the first time since 1993.
The Islanders have also hit the 100-point plateau in each of the last two seasons, so it appears they were trending in the right direction. Yet Capuano also appears to be a polarizing figure for Islanders fans.
“There’s a great respect from our players to the coaches and vice versa,” GM Garth Snow said in May. “Sitting through these meetings with the players, there’s a respect that’s impressive to me. Our team is prepared, they’re in great condition, for me I’m very thankful to have the coaching staff we have.”
At the start of July, new Islanders owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin gave Capuano and Snow a vote of confidence, citing their leadership in the team’s opening-round playoff victory over Florida.
On the same day, the Islanders waved goodbye to free agents Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin and Frans Nielsen, but signed 30-year-old Andrew Ladd to a monstrous seven-year, $38.5 million deal.
So, after back-to-back 100-point seasons and a second-round playoff appearance in 2016, Capuano and Snow received the backing of ownership. Do Islanders fans feel the same way?
Over to you.
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