What Garth Snow Has Done as Islanders GM

Former Back-up Goaltender Working to Improve Woeful Club

Jul 24, 2009 Heather Engel

It's been a downward spiral for the New York Islanders since their dynasty years in the early 1980s. Now, Garth Snow is trying to steer the ship in the right direction.

Regular season and playoff disappointment, questionable moves by management, a revolving door of coaches; New York Islanders fans have seen it all over the last two-plus decades. The one thing they haven’t been witness to is a commitment by ownership to improve.

The mysterious ways of the Islanders’ front office continued during the summer of 2006 when it was announced that back-up goaltender Garth Snow was hanging up his pads to replace month-long General Manager Neil Smith. However, in his short time as the man in charge, Snow appears to be doing what he can to bring the club back to some level of respectability.

While the team’s lack of success on the ice led to the opportunity to draft John Tavares, who will likely make his NHL debut not long after his 19th birthday, the Isles’ GM has been trying to fill the holes with the best free agent options available.

One year ago, defenceman Mark Streit was a highly coveted free agent after the Canadiens opted to let him walk. New York took advantage of his availability, offering him a five-year, $20.5 million deal and the chance to play on the blue line full time on July 1st. Though some questioned Streit’s ability to fill that role in the NHL, the Swiss rearguard shook off his critics. When the 2008-09 season concluded, he had a career-high 16 goals, 40 assists, and an impressive plus-5 differential on a woeful club to his credit.

DiPietro Injury History Leads to Signing Extra Goaltenders

Perhaps the most questionable move by Snow thus far came early in his tenure as GM, with the signing of intended-franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro to a stunning 15-year contract (it should be noted, though, that owner Charles Wang is no stranger to albatross deals; see Yashin, Alexei). While the $4.5 million cap hit was somewhat puzzling given he had yet to truly prove his worth, it was the length of the deal that raised the most eyebrows, and inevitably set off a growing trend in the NHL.

DiPietro and injuries have gone hand in hand since the end of the lockout, but the pairing has been even more prominent since pen was put to paper in September 2006. The injury bug hasn’t discriminated where it has hit; the first overall pick in 2000 has endured everything from mild concussions to continual hip, groin and knee problems. The latter two resulted in just five appearances in 2008-09.

A revolving door of back-up goaltenders desperately tried to fill the void but without much luck. So, in an effort to give his roster at least half a chance in 2009-10, Snow signed 39-year-old Dwayne Roloson for two years as a back-up.

But then, he surprised just about everyone with the announcement that former Flyers goaltender Martin Biron would also be joining the fold for one year, at a cost of $1.4 million. It led to questions as to the nature of DiPietro’s recovery and potential health to start the season. And although the Islanders’ crease could become a very crowded one if and when DiPietro returns to form, it would seem Snow would rather cross that bridge should he come to it.

Islanders' Regular Season and Playoff History

From 1980 through 1983, the Islanders dominated the league with four consecutive Stanley Cup Championships. Aiming for a fifth straight title the following season, they made it to the Final but fell to the Edmonton Oilers, who kicked off a dynasty run of their own. A look at the team’s results since then pinpoints that loss as the beginning of the downhill slide.

The Isles have passed the second round of the playoffs just once in the last 25 years (1993) and only twice have skated into Round 2 (1985, 1987). The remaining seasons consist of eight opening round eliminations and 13 in which they didn’t even qualify for postseason play, including seven straight from 1995 through 2001.

It’s no wonder the fans haven’t been rushing to buy tickets.

The drafting of Tavares and Snow addressing the needs of his club are starting points on the road to recovery for the once proud franchise. There’s still a ways to go before reaching the light at the end of the tunnel but with apparent glimmers of hope on the horizon, fans surely would like those to be more than just a crack in tunnel’s structure.

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John Tavares and Garth Snow

Mark Streit

Dwayne Roloson