After conducting their exit meetings Monday, the Islanders have other meetings ongoing that will "play a large role in determining the course of the franchise -- whether the Islanders will clean house to start this crucial offseason or stay the course and make changes within the front office's current framework," according to Arthur Staple of NEWSDAY. Sources said that co-Owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky "still were discussing" Monday and into yesterday whether to make "sweeping changes to hockey operations or keep" Islanders President & GM Garth Snow in charge. Malkin and Ledecky have "continued to talk to potential team president candidates over the past few weeks." Islanders C John Tavares' agent Pat Brisson "remains a strong draw" for the Islanders owners "despite Brisson's denials of interest in such a job." Staple writes it would be a "shock to the system for most Islanders fans, though." In the last 25 years, "despite the on-ice futility and off-ice ownership sagas, the team has had just four GMs." If Malkin and Ledecky "decide to give a new hockey operations boss total control and essentially buy out Snow, that would be a seismic shift in the way the Islanders do business." When there is "big money involved, as would be to buy out Snow and bring in a big-name president and coach, it's hard to know which way things will go." Also, "add in the arena situation and the Tavares contract extension talks later this offseason and this is no easy decision for Malkin and Ledecky" (NEWSDAY, 4/12).
PERMANENT WEIGHT: Staple reports Doug Weight has been "named Islanders head coach, removing the interim tag" for the longtime Islanders assistant coach and Assistant GM. Nearly every Islander "endorsed the move to make Weight the permanent head coach on Monday when the team held its exit meetings." Weight staying on as coach "would appear to indicate the owners are going into this busy offseason happy with Snow holding the reins" (NEWSDAY.com, 4/12).
