Are the Isles Dicking With Nolan?

1) For the non-Islander fans out there, their head coach, Ted Nolan just completed the second of his three year contract. Now, normally with only a year left on his deal that would mean that it would either be time to fire/replace him, or negotiate an extension. Of course the manner in which 29 other teams run their organization mean little to how the Wang-led Islanders run theirs. When asked about his coach Snow and Wang both have given him half-hearted votes of confidence along the lines of 'we like Ted and he is under contract to be our coach next season.'

2) As we mentioned earlier this past season, we believed that Nolan was overlooked or even blackballed for a deserved Adams nomination last season; Coaching an undermanned Isles team into a playoff berth when most, including us at FAUXRUMORS believed them to be the 14th best East team. This past season the Isles were again over-achieving; through the first 50 games they either held a playoff position or were within a few points of 8th. That, until a series of significant injuries occurred culminating with the loss of franchise, goalie-for life, Rick DiPietro. From there the team went into free fall and finished with basically a group of Bridgeport (AHL) skaters into nearly the East bottom.

3) You would have thought that given the trials and tribulations that the team had endured, the successful Al Arbour night that Nolan almost single handedly arranged, and last season's over achievement, that it would be an automatic/logical process to extend Nolan's contract. No coach likes to go into his final year of a contract as a lame duck. He also doesn’t like to be thrown under the bus for failures that are not his fault. Such was the case here, when Snow/Wang intimated that Nolan didn't like to work with the kids. This is especially puzzling since Nolan's last position was with a junior hockey team where ALL the players were 'kids' and he/they thrived to win the QMJHL title . What is certain is that Nolan is the best coach this franchise has had since Al Arbour.

4) Nolan, and anyone else for that matter can see the hand writing on the wall; The Islanders plan on sucking next season, and appear to plan to have a reletively low payroll under the guise of "playing the kids." Nolan evidently will be the sacrificial lamb/scape-goat and be blamed for not being able to work with the kids, or not be a team player in Wang's wacky Knight of the Round Table mentality. Nolan is probably counting down the days until he can get his 'contractual obligation' done and can move on. Clearly he is a good coach. Now he needs to find an organization that appreciates him/uses his talents!