Islanders' goalie coach firing signals accountability, sparking improved team defense and a shift in the locker room dynamic beyond individual performance.
On Friday afternoon, I hopped on with former Super Bowl champion turned New York Post Sports host Brandon London to talk about the New York Islanders, who are currently riding a four-game winning streak after a 7-2 route of the Detroit Red Wings.
One of the tallking points was the firing of goaltending coach Piero Greco, who had been with the organization since 2018-19, coming over with Lou Lamoriello from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Greco was an excellent person and a tremendous coach, one whose impact was felt in that room amongst all the players, not just the goalies.
But, at the same time, I think this firing went beyond Ilya Sorokin's struggles last season and to start this season. It was about accountability and general manager Mathieu Darche showing a willingness to make changes to make this team better right now -- he is showing that he isn't one to let things linger.
And, I don't think it was a coincidence that the Islanders played their best defensive game of the season after Greco was relieved of his duties, because when a coach gets fired, it hits everyone.
It seemed to put an onus on the players, as if the team had played better in front of Sorokin, Greco likely still has a job.
"He doesn't wait for a problem to fester," Islanders alternate captain Bo Horvat said. "I mean, it's still early, obviously, but I think he's done a great job of doing things the way he wants to do it, you know, and kudos to him. I mean, it's his team, it's his decisions and stuff like that, and we're just trying to go out there and do our best to help the team win and support him on the ice.
"He's been great. He's always in the locker room quite a bit, talking to the guys and kind of getting the feel around the room too. So he's a very smart, smart guy that way. And we're lucky to have him."
You can catch my full interview with London here: