New York Islanders Owe Capuano a Trade Before Going Other Way

The NHL is one big boys club. The same group of guys are bandied about vacancies from coaching gigs to GM jobs. With such a small community some odd unwritten rules exist. Like, a coach deserves a trade before being fired.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds. We’re all tough that at some various stage in our life, in the NHL it’s something that’s ever present. So now that the fire is growing for the New York Islanders, and Jack Capuano‘s job is on the line, does GM Snow follow the tenant of giving a coach a trade before firing him?

But honestly, is Capuano actually owed this courtesy? It’s not that he’s been so spectacularly bad that he should be run out of town with a gigantic Nun hovering ominously behind him ringing a bell shouting “SHAME!”

He hasn’t been that bad. But Capuano’s been in his job for six years now. He’s had the time to right the ship. Sure two 100 point season in a row is an accomplishment but how much is that about the assets he has rather than the quality of his coaching?

In a recent press conference Capuano alluded to as much. Saying that the Isles lost 134 points of production from the lineup. How on earth could they get that level of production with their current lineup?

Blame the Circumstances Rather Than the Process

Losing Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, and Matt Martin wasn’t optimal. But to be fair bringing in Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera was supposed to mitigate that. Or at least Snow thought that his coach could get the right level of output to offset the loss.

If we assume that Okposo-Ladd and Martin-Chimera were used as 1:1 swaps the production differential favors the Isles with a +3. That’s assuming you use last year’s production as a baseline for this year’s like Capuano did.

So what I hear from Capuano’s comments is: “How am I able to get the same level of offense from equal or greater point producing players?”

If Capuano can’t get the production he needs from this team in order to win games, then maybe making a trade and potentially destabilize this team even more, maybe another coach is in order?

Again, this isn’t to say “Fire Cappy Now!”. It’s to say, he has the tools he needs to get the job done. If he can’t, then its a reflection on his coaching acumen over the quality of the assets at his disposal.

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