By Jordan Long
The New York Islanders hired Scott Gomez, as the assistant coach for next season. This will be his first coaching job. According to ESPN, Islanders Head Coach Doug Weight said, “Scott brings an immense amount of hockey knowledge to our coaching staff. His offensive instincts, expertise on the power-play and the way he could control the game with his skating and smarts, are all key elements that we want implemented into our group. He played in the league as recently as the 2015-16 season so he can relate to today’s NHL player in an effort to bring out the best in each member of the team.” What kind of hire is this?
Gomez brings plenty of NHL experience to the Islanders. He played 18 NHL seasons from 1999 to 2016, appearing in 1,079 games for 7 teams. Those are the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Montréal Canadians, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators. In those games he recorded 181 goals and 575 assists for a total of 756 points. Gomez was one of the fastest skaters in the league. His speed allowed him to skate around the defensemen and create odd man rushes for scoring chances. Those more often than not ended up in goals. He could also set up his teammates on the power play. Gomez hoisted the Stanley Cup twice.
The area the Islanders need to enhance is the power play. They ranked 28th in the NHL. Gomez knows that area since he was a decent skater on the power play. He can tell his players how to set it up to score goals. The move will only work if they take advantage of the power play. If they don’t, it could be a long season for the Islanders. On paper adding Gomez to the coaching staff is the smart move.
What do you think of the New York Islanders adding Scott Gomez to the coaching staff?
Gomez is the second assistant Weight has hired in the past two weeks; Luke Richardson joined the Islanders on May 18.