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End of an Era: Isles fire Capuano

Florida Panthers v New York Islanders - Game Six

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 24: Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders leaves the ice following a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Barclays Center on April 24, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Islanders won the game 2-1 to win the series four games to two. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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After a disappointing campaign that’s seen numerous calls for his job, Jack Capuano has been fired by the Islanders.

Assistant GM Doug Weight, who also served as a bench coach on Capuano’s staff, will take over the gig on an interim basis.

Capuano’s dismissal come with the Isles sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference, with a 17-17-8 record and just 42 points. They’re eight back of Philly for the final wild card spot, though the club did just put forth one of its best efforts of the season in Monday’s 4-0 win over the Bruins at TD Garden.

Despite that, the Isles are still a far cry from where they were last season, when they qualified for their second straight playoff appearance and won a round for the first time since 1993.

The team underwent some significant changes this offseason -- Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Matt Martin left in free agency, while Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera came aboard -- and never seemed to gel. Ladd and Chimera have disappointed, the defense and goaltending have been suspect (24th in GAA) and special teams have been a constant problem (26th-ranked PP, 21st-ranked PK).

There was hope former first-round pick Ryan Strome would take another step forward in his progression, but it hasn’t happened. And the club’s talented prospects -- Mathew Barzal, Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang -- were deemed too young and inexperienced to play this season.

As a result, Capuano openly questioned how the club would compensate for the offseason departures.

“Where are we going to get point production?” Capuano asked reporters earlier this month. “One hundred and thirty-four points out of our lineup that we lost. Now we have to find a way. Like everything gets magnified, I get it. You guys are talking about the (losses) lately...but we have to find a way to get some balanced offense in our hockey team.”

There was also a constant issue with the club’s three-goalie setup, only recently alleviated with the waiving and AHL demotion of Jaroslav Halak -- which came after Caupano called Halak out for his poor play.

It’s worth noting that, earlier this season, Isles GM Garth Snow had given Capuano a vote of confidence. But time and patience apparently ran out. As a result, the NHL’s fourth longest-tenured head coach is no longer.