4-12. No, that’s not a date; that’s the Islanders’ record in their last 16 games. After compiling enough wins to find themselves in 7th place before the All Star Break, the Islanders are currently in a downward spiral destined for a lottery pick (maybe not such a bad thing with Steven Stamkos in this years draft). Currently sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and 26th out of the entire NHL, the Islanders have been looking more and more like a group just waiting for the season to end. But it seems as if only one person is taking the blame: coach Ted Nolan.

Nolan was unjustly exiled from the NHL for close to a decade for supposedly having “extracurricular activities” with a former player’s wife. But when the Islanders came knocking on his door 2 years ago, he was eager to get back behind the bench. Since that day, Nolan has held his own and shown why he was awarded the Jack Adams Trophy his 2nd year with the Sabres. Nolan is a master motivator who is able to get every last drop of energy out of his players. The most glaring piece of evidence is last year’s Islanders. That team had no business making the playoffs, especially after goalie Rick DiPietro went down with a concussion during the last 2 weeks of the season. But Nolan being the steady figure he is, coached his team up to win their final 4 games of the year to make it to the post-season.

But we are in New York and we tend to have short memory spans. Nolan has been on the hot seat as of late and their have been rumors circulating that the Isles may not extend Nolans contract after it expires next season. What fans have to remember is that owner Charles Wang hired Nolan after already hiring then General Manager Neil Smith. But after 41 long days in office, Smith was relieved of his duties and Wang promoted Garth Snow from backup goalie to GM of the Isles. Nolan might not have been who Snow actually wanted coaching his team.

After a promising start to a season in which the Islanders swept a home-and-home against the Sabres, the team has recently fallen flat. Losing 7 straight games and then winning 6 straight games, the Islanders have been as inconsistent as ever. Recently the Islanders went through a 5 game slide only making them further plummet in the standings. There have been several reports throughout the season of Nolan and Snow butting heads. The most recent of those coming after Nolan decided to start Wade Dubielewicz over Rick DiPietro against the hated Rangers at Nassau Coliseum. Nolan said his reasoning for doing this was because DiPietro had missed 4 days due to the death of his grandmother but word quickly came out that Snow was none too happy with his coaches decision.

In my eyes and I’m sure in the eyes of many fans, the loss of this season cannot fall squarely on the shoulders of Nolan:

 -Watching DiPietro has been like watching a see-saw. Every other day he could be up or he could be down. He can steal you 2 points or give them away on a silver platter.

-Nolan can only work with what he was given. This team is not blessed with too much offensive talent. A goalie can only keep you in a game so many times. Sometimes a team needs to carry a goalie, not vice versa.

-Injuries have plagued the Islanders horribly after the All Star Break. Currently 11, yes you read that correctly, 11 Islanders are on the injured list including 4 defensemen. When your team is made up of your AHL kids, it’s hard to imagine anything else besides losses piling up.

Nolan needs to be extended and should not be held in anything besides the highest regard. He is one of the best hockey minds in the sport and if given the talent needed can lead the Islanders deep into playoffs in the near future.