Will Barry Trotz become the New York Islanders'; most successful coach since Al
 Arbour? That';s what Lou Lamoriello had in mind when he signed Trotz to a
five-year deal in June, and that is certainly what the fans are hoping will
happen. With all the coaching wins he has under his belt, along with a Stanley
Cup victory in his back pocket, a better question might be how long will it
take for him to earn that distinction?Barry Trotz (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA
TODAY Sports)

Trotz brings with him something the last three Isles'; coaches did not have -
NHL head coaching experience. For the last ten years, the Islanders have been
led by Scott Gordon, Jack Capuano, and Doug Weight. Their experience was gained
 at either the AHL level (Gordon & Capuano) or as second-in-command in the NHL
(Weight). Collectively, they brought zero years of NHL head coaching experience
 to the job.

Contrast that with Trotz; a real NHL coach with 1,524 games and 762 wins on his
 résumé. He spent 15 years as the bench boss for the Nashville Predators,
taking them from their inaugural year through their early growing pains, then
into the playoffs seven times. He followed that up with four years at the helm
of the Washington Capitals, leading them to their first Stanley Cup in team
history. All that experience is expected to translate into success with the
Islanders.Trotz vs. the Previous Islander Coaches

There are a few ways that Trotz can earn the moniker of most successful coach
since Al Arbour. One way would be to amass the most regular season wins. To
earn the title that way, Trotz would need to exceed the 227 games won by Jack
Capuano during his seven years behind the Islanders bench. (Yes, Jack Capuano
has the second most Islander coaching wins behind Al Arbour!) For Trotz to beat
 that number, he would need to average over 45 wins per season over the course
of his five-year contract, or coach longer than five years.Jack Capuano is
second behind Al Arbour in Islander coaching wins with 227 (Brad Penner-USA
TODAY Sports)

Another way to earn the distinction would be to have the highest point
percentage among the coaches. The current leader behind Al Arbour in that
category is Peter Laviolette. In his two seasons as an Islander head coach,
Laviolette compiled a record of 77 wins, 62 losses, 19 ties, and 6 overtime
losses which was good for a points percentage of .546. With a few strong
seasons, Trotz could accomplish that in less time than it would take to beat
Capuano's win record.

The surest way to take the title would be by winning in the playoffs. Besides
Al Arbour, only two Islander coaches have ever taken the team past the first
round. Terry Simpson, who inherited the job directly from Arbour when he
decided to step down as coach the first time, did it in the 1987 and Capuano
did it more recently when he made it into the second round against the Tampa
Bay Lightning in 2016. If Trotz could take the team past the second round of
the playoffs, Isles fans would happily refer to him as the most successful
coach after Arbour. Of course, actually winning the Stanley Cup would solidify
the title without question.Does Trotz Have the Assets?

The hallmarks of a Barry Trotz-coached hockey game are solid goaltending, tight
 checking, and defense. During his best years in Nashville, he had Pekka Rinne
minding the net and Shea Weber quarterbacking the blue line. When he moved to
Washington he had Braden Holtby and John Carlson in those key roles, along with
 an extra boost from Alexander Ovechkin on offense.

As he starts his tenure with the Islanders, Trotz has Robin Lehner as his
starting goaltender and Nick Leddy as his number one defenseman. They do not
stack up well in comparison with Renne and Weber, or Holtby and Carlson. Nor do
 the rest of the Islanders comprise a depth chart to match up with the
Predators or the Capitals.Barry Trotz (Photo Credit: Andy Martin Jr)

Without additional moves from Lamoriello, Trotz will certainly be challenged to
 keep the team competitive this season. But his long experience and Cup success
 give him an edge that no other Islander coach has had coming into the job.

The post Isles Counting on Trotz to Be a Winner appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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