Islanders relieve Weight, Snow of duties as Lamoriello takes command

Lou steps into GM role for Isles

June 5, 2018 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

After a season and a half on the job, Doug Weight was relieved of his head coaching duties by new Islanders general manager and team president Lou Lamoriello on Tuesday afternoon. Lamoriello also replaced former GM Garth Snow. AP file photo by Kathy Willens

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Lou Lamoriello made Garth Snow and Doug Weight walk the plank.

The Brooklyn-based Islanders’ recently hired Hall of Fame executive announced Tuesday afternoon that he has fired long-time general manager Garth Snow and second-year head coach Doug Weight, marking his first major moves at the helm of the NHL franchise’s ship since taking the job last month.

Lamoriello, the owner of three Stanley Cup rings as the architect of the New Jersey Devils and orchestrator of a whirlwind three-year turnaround in Toronto, is hoping to return the Islanders to their former glory, when they reeled off four straight championships during the 1980s.

Apparently, Snow and Weight, both of whom will remain within the organization due to contractual obligations, are not a part of Lamoriello’s plan going forward.

With the NHL Draft slated to begin on June 22 and unrestricted free-agent-to-be John Tavares potentially ready to leave the only pro team he has ever played for, Lamoriello took a week to look over the team he inherited and decided to send the team’s former brain trust packing.

“The New York Islanders would like to thank both Garth and Doug for their dedication to the franchise,” Lamoriello said in a tidy statement on the team’s website at 2 p.m. on Tuesday before revealing that he himself would be the new GM.

“Both started their tenures with the franchise as players and grew as tremendous leaders to the positions they held.”

Snow was GM for 12 years, guided the team to the playoffs four times and oversaw just one postseason series win during his tenure.

Weight, a former Isles captain, sparked the club to a strong finish after replacing Jack Capuano back in 2016-17, but the team fell a single point shy of earning a playoff berth.

This past season, the Isles underperformed following a strong start and failed to reach the playoffs for a second straight year, just as co-owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin were announcing plans for a new arena in Elmont, N.Y.

Lamoriello must now get to the business of finding a new head coach, prepping the Isles for the draft and, most importantly, convincing Tavares to stay here in Brooklyn.

Former Devils defenseman and long-time Lamoriello favorite Scott Stevens is already being rumored to be interviewed for the vacant head-coaching spot.