Snow to name the next coach of Islanders soon.

Don Lucia's favorite NHL GM Garth Snow is expected to name his new head coach this week. This has turned out to be quite the drama and I am dying to find out who it is going to be. That being said I expect the Islanders to be cellar dwellars this season.

Source: Snow has narrowed his list to three
BY GREG LOGAN
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After a painstaking interview process in which he spoke with eight known candidates and contacted a few others, an NHL source indicated Snow has narrowed his list to three finalists. Former Atlanta coach Bob Hartley, former Toronto coach Paul Maurice and current AHL Providence coach Scott Gordon still are in the running, and Snow is expected to name one as the Isles' next coach early this week.

Although former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella and former Colorado coach Joel Quenneville were regarded as the most high-profile candidates when Snow's search began because of their consistent winning records, any handicapper judging by the criteria set by the Isles' GM probably would have picked the same three finalists Snow settled on. When he parted ways with Nolan, Snow cited "philosophical differences" over the direction of the franchise as the reason.

Snow made a firm commitment last season to a patient, long-term approach to fashioning a championship contender by developing the top young prospects in the organization and building through the draft as opposed to relying on free agency to provide a quick fix. The coach he chooses must share the same, and he must be able to communicate equally well with management and players.