New York Islanders Continue Busy Off-Season

The New York Islanders continue to make headlines this offseason by making three moves Monday morning. The team announced Greg Cronin and Bob Corkum will be named assistant coaches and Doug Weight will be named the assistant general manager according to Arthur Staple of Newsday.

In early May the Islanders announced assistant coach Brent Thompson would return to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to be the head coach. This left a hole at the assistant coach position which the Islanders they addressed this week.

Cronin, 51, and Corkum, 46, will be joining Head Coach Jack Capuano and Assistant Coach Doug Weight on the Islanders bench this season. Cronin served as an assistant coach with the Islanders from the 1999-2000 to the 2002-2003 seasons. He was the Head Coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the 2003-2004 season and recorded a 78-61-12 record with the team. Cronin spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Corkum served as the assistant coach for his alma mater, the University of Maine, and spent 5 years as an assistant before joining the Islanders last season when he served in a player development role.

Lastly, Doug Weight was named the assistant general manager of the team and will serve as an advisor to General Manager Garth Snow. Weight, played with the Islanders for 3 seasons serving as the team’s captain. After announcing his retirement, he was immediately named an assistant coach. Although he will be the assistant general manager, he will continue to serve as the assistant coach along with newcomers Greg Cronin and Bob Corkum.

Garth Snow is clearly trying to give the team a change in culture and that’s exactly what the team needs at this point. These move tell me that Jack Capuano may be on a short leash this season. The Islanders offseason is turning out to be one of the most exciting we have had in years with the team making moves that should impress the fan base.