Sitting last in the Eastern Conference with just five wins in 16 games, fans of the New York Islanders are calling for the firing of coach Jack Capuano.
But that's not the stance of general manager Garth Snow.
Asked whether that could mean a change behind the bench, Snow told TSN's Frank Seravalli, "Jack is an excellent coach. We have good players. I love our coaching staff. In fact, last time I checked, he coached in the World Cup and there were some pretty good coaching staffs."
The NHL's fourth-longest tenured coach, Capuano has posted a 215-183-59 record since joining the club in 2010, leading the Islanders to the postseason three times in six seasons. Last year, the Islanders won their first playoff series since 1993.
Earlier this month, Capuano pointed to the team's offseason changes as means for the team's sagging offensive support.
"We took 134 points out of our lineup (in free agency) and we need to find a way to get some offense," Capuano told Newsday's Arthur Staple.
Among those summer changes was Andrew Ladd, who landed a seven-year pact with the Islanders, paying a $5.5 million AAV. The veteran forward has just three points on the season, and was without a goal through the first 12 games.
As for Snow, it doesn't appear he's looking to make a coaching change. Rather, he wants more from his players.
"I see some guys just lacking in confidence. I have a lot of confidence in our players. We have a good team. I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff," Snow added. "We're coming off two 100-point seasons. I think that speaks for itself for how good of a staff we have. It's an 82-game marathon, not a sprint. We'll keep trying to get better every day."
