New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight is putting the finishing touches on his assistant coaching staff.

One of the most important things to remember when evaluating a club is that assistant coaches — not the head coach — have jurisdiction over the special teams.

That means that the Isles’ flailing — to put it nicely — power play and penalty kill wasn’t necessarily Doug Weight’s responsibility. Rather, the brunt of the blame fell on Bob Corkum and Greg Cronin, the Isles’ obscure assistant staff.

Weight has spent a considerable amount of time in the last couple of weeks searching for coaches. According to Newsday‘s Arthur Staple, he’s already landed on Luke Richardson — and Scott Gomez could be next.

Richardson, 48, is a former NHL defenseman most notable for racking up 238 PIM in the 1990-91 season. He most recently served as the Binghamton Senators’ (AHL) head coach, after spending three seasons behind Ottawa’s bench.

Gomez, meanwhile, spent the better part of his seventeen-year career with the Devils and Rangers, two rival organizations. Although he’s never been a coach at the professional level before, he does have immense experience on the power play.

Whether or not Gomez gets (and accepts) the job, one thing has become increasingly clear: the Isles are expanding their horizons beyond just the University of Maine.

And that, my Capuano hater friends, is a good thing.

NOTES

Arthur Staple of Newsday explored the Islanders’ surprising struggles on defense, which started with Travis Hamonic: “It wasn’t my best year but I don’t think the numbers reflect my season,” Hamonic said. “I’ve got to be better and I own that. I don’t think the numbers reflect how I feel, but I have to be better.”

In completely unrelated news, the Senators pummeled the Penguins by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 series lead. The Sens notched four goals in the first period, including three in the first 2:18 of the game, which is the fastest trio in franchise history.

Thursday marks the 12,311 day since the Isles last hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup. As we pointed out in yesterday’s ‘Daily Insight,’ the Islanders were last victorious on May 17, 1983. Here’s a video clip for your viewing pleasure: