Garth Snow: Pros and Cons to Another Year as Islanders GM

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Dec 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18) celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres with teammates during the second period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Can’t Develop Players

Look at Garth’s draft history and there’s a theme. He just can’t develop promising talent. Yeah, John Tavares turned out great, but was that ever not an option?

Look at all his first round selections that are currently playing on this team: Josh Bailey (9th), Ryan Strome (5th), Calvin de Haan (12th), Brock Nelson (30th).

With Josh Bailey aside after this year, none of these players have turned into anything but an average NHL player. And the jury’s still out on Josh Bailey, a single 50+ point season doesn’t excuse the fact that it took him nine years to get there.

Maybe Garth Snow is a good scout. He can identify talent, but he has no idea how to create the proper infrastructure to support these young men to break into something more.

Sure, taking Anders Lee in the 6th round looks like a master stroke and disproves the point. Until you remember that the only reason Anders Lee fell that far down in the draft was because teams weren’t sure if he’d play hockey or football. His talent was undeniable.

A GM should be able to extract the most out of the resources he has. Because Garth Snow couldn’t turn a single first round pick – Tavares excluded – into something more than an average player, he needs to go.