What were those philosophical differences between the fomer New York Islanders coach and the current Islanders GM? In reality, there was just one, and it was a gigantic one. Nolan did not think the Islanders had enough talent on its roster to be a perennial Stanley Cup contender, while Snow believed he had assembled a solid enough team that Nolan should have been able to guide the team to the playoffs this past season. So who’s right and who’s wrong? Looking at last year’s roster makes you think Nolan wins this argument.
The Islanders' Forwards
Nolan griped during last season that the Islanders did not have enough skilled players and natural goal scorers. Snow countered by saying that Bill Guerin and Miroslav Satan were pretty good. Guerin is 37 years old and has not had a 50-point campaign in three seasons. He is hardly the poster boy for offense these days. The inconsistent Satan suffered because he needs a quality playmaking center to pass him the puck, something Snow failed to acquire for him, so the enigmatic winger bounced between the first line and the fourth line on his way to his worst season in a decade (16 goals, 25 assists).