On June 8, 2006, the New York Islanders sworn in Neil Smith as their general manager (GM), who won a Stanley Cup in 1994 during his 11-year tenure with the Rangers. He became the first general manager in history to work with both the Islanders and Rangers. Smith participated in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, where his most memorable moment was drafting longtime Islander Kyle Okposo with the 7th overall pick. In free agency soon after, Smith added Tom Poti, Mike Sillinger, and other veterans to help the team’s performance. Later that summer, owner Charles Wang appointed Dan Marshall as head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Neil Smith Cleary disliked the decision, and after an unenthusiastic interview, Wang fired Smith the very next day. The Islanders were in a pickle, as the season was starting soon, and they did not have a GM. So, they did the unimaginable, and appointed the position to Garth Snow. Snow was the Islanders backup goalie behind Rick DiPietro, and had retired earlier that summer. So, as the 2006-07 NHL season began, so did the era of Garth Snow on Long Island, and we will examine his best moves in this article.

Garth Snow’s tenure with the Islanders was far from pleasant. After an array of bad draft picks, bad trades, and bad signings, it was around 2016 where Islanders and their fans began to have enough of Snow. So, the “Snow Must Go” movement was created, with rally towels, t-shirts, and billboards. Finally, the Islanders listened to the fans, and relieved Garth Snow of his duties in 2018 and replaced him with current general manager, Lou Lamoriello.

Islander fans don’t think too highly of Garth Snow. However, there were and handful of really good moves he made, and they tend to go unnoticed as they get overshadowed by the bad. Let’s take a peek of some of Snow’s best moves:

10. Signing P.A. Parenteau (July 2, 2010)

In 2010, Snow signed Pierre-Alexander Parenteau to a one-year contract at league minimum. After contributing just eight points over 22 games the previous season for the Rangers, Parenteau exploded in the 2010-11 NHL season. He scored a grand total of 53 points, earning a contract extension of $1.25 million for the next season along the way. In that next season, Parenteau scored a career-high 67 points, which was third among Islanders for the second consecutive year, trailing John Tavares and Matt Moulson in both. After his two seasons with the Islanders, Parenteau agreed to a four-year contract with the Avalanche. Although he was only an Islander for two seasons, Snow got two big seasons out of Parenteau for a huge bargain.

9. Drafting Devon Toews (June 28, 2014)

The 2014 NHL Entry Draft hasn’t been kind to the Islanders. They had two first round picks, Michael Dal Colle (5th Overall) and Josh Ho-Sang (28th Overall) and neither of those players have panned out six years later. But, one of their picks has. That is Devon Toews, who was drafted in the fourth round at 108th overall. Toews was a prospect out of Quinnipiac University, and played his first NHL game as an Islander in 2018. He played very well and stuck around, remaining an NHLer for the rest of the 2018-19 seasons well as all of the 2019-2020 season.  Due to cap constraints, the Islanders traded Toews to the Colorado Avalanche on October 12th, 2020.

8. Signing Mark Streit (July 1, 2008)

Needing a veteran to play on the top defensive pair, Snow spent big money in the 2008 offseason to acquire 30-year-old Mark Streit. The contract was 5 years, with an AAV of $5.1 million. After a breakout season in Montreal, Streit continued to succeed in New York. He lead the 2009 Islanders in points with 56, even as a defenseman. After missing the entire 2010 season with a shoulder injury, Snow promoted Streit to captain, making him the first Swiss-born captain in NHL history. Streit finished his 5-year contract as captain, and remained the go-to defenseman all throughout his Islanders career. In 2013, Streit’s contract rights were shipped to Philadelphia before he entered the market as a UFA. In 2017, Streit won his first career Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins at age 39.

7. Drafting Adam Pelech (June 23, 2012)

In the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Snow was so desperate for defenseman that he used all seven of his draft picks (one in every round) on defensemen. Adam Pelech stands out from the crowd, and was taken 65th Overall in the 3rd round. Pelech was a prospect from the Erie Otters, and joined the Islanders on an entry-level contract in 2014. After a successful nine-game-trial in Nov. 2015, Pelech earned himself an everyday lineup-spot for the 2016-17 season where he scored 10 points through 44 games. At the end of the 2017 season, Pelech re-signed on a four year contract with an AAV of $1.6 million. In the first three seasons of the contract, Pelech has broken out into a top-pair defensive defenseman, and was crucial to the Islanders’ playoff run in 2020.

6. Matt Moulson signing (July 6, 2009)

After three seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Snow signed the young forward to a one year contract worth $525,000 in 2009. Moulson exploded in his first Islanders season, with 30 goals and 48 points in 2010. He signed another one-year deal with the Islanders, this time worth $2.45 million, where he crossed the 50-point-mark yet again. During that 2011 season, Moulson signed a three year extension, which had an AAV of $3.13 million. He remained a top scorer all of his time on the Islanders, often on the first line with John Tavares. He recorded a career high 69 points (36 goals, 33 assists) in 2011-2012. After just 11 games into the last season of Moulson’s contract, he was traded among a package to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Thomas Vanek. Still, Moulson was a vital piece of New York’s offense.

5. Trading for Jaroslav Halak (May 1, 2014)

In 2014, Braden Holtby was an emerging star in the Washington Capitals’ crease, and backup Jaroslav Halak was set to test the market in search for a starting role. Before he could do so, Snow wanted to lock up the goalie before anyone else could. This was because Evgeni Nabokov was not resigning, and the Islanders desperately needed a new starting goalie. So, the Islanders sent a 2014 4th round pick to Washington for Halak. A few weeks later, Halak and the Isles inked a four-year deal with a $4.5 million AAV. Halak had a heavily workload in his first season in New York, with 59 starts, 13th amongst goaltenders that season. For the next three seasons, Halak split the the crease about evenly with Thomas Greiss, although Greiss was the lead horse in the 2016 playoff run. Halak played 177 total games before signing with the Bruins in 2018.

4. Trading for Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk (Oct. 4, 2014)

The Islanders defense way a mess going into the 2014 season. So, Garth Snow decided to go all-in and traded for two top-pair defenseman… on the same day. First, Snow sent a package of four players including Ville Pokka, TJ Brennan, and Anders Nillson for Nick Leddy and goaltender Kent Simpson. Of the three players acquired by Chicago, none played a single game for the Blackhawks. Later that day, the Islanders traded a 2nd round pick in both the 2015 and 2016 NHL Draft to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Johnny Boychuk. In the end, October 4th, 2014 was a monumental day for the Islanders. The Bruins turned those draft picks into Brandon Carlo and Ryan Lindgren. The pair was crucial in reaching two consecutive 100-point seasons and playoff berths, being the two highest defensive point scorers on the team. Six years later, both Leddy and Boychuk remain members of the Islanders defense.

3. Drafting Anders Lee (June 27, 2009)

Anders Lee is undoubtably one of the biggest draft steals of active NHLers. The 2009 NHL Draft was a big weekend for the Islanders. On Day One, John Tavares was selected by the Islanders first overall, and also drafted Calvin De Haan with the 12th overall selection. On Day Two, they had multiple other picks, including  fourth rounder Casey Cizikas, who has played over 500 games with the Islanders. But little did Islander fans know, that along with the first pick, the Islanders had the steal of the draft. Anders Lee, who was drafted 151st overall, has scored 178 more points than anyone else taken in rounds 5-7 that year (Anders Lee – 301, Markus Kruger – 123).  In Lee’s six full seasons leading until present day, Lee has averaged over 45 points a season. During that span, Lee had a career-high 40-goal campaign in 2018. After that season, Lee was appointed the vacant captain spot.

2. Trading For Jordan Eberle (June 22, 2017)

In the 2016-17 NHL season, the Islanders were a few games away from a playoff berth, and Snow believed the problem was scoring. The Islanders scored just below three goals per game, which seemed to not be enough. So, the Islanders sent center Ryan Strome, off of a 30 point season to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Jordan Eberle, a winger coming off a 51-point season. This was a big win at the time, and that was the case in the future as well. While Strome struggled in Edmonton, Eberle kept up a consistent scoring rate. Over time, Eberle would play on the first line with Mat Barzal and Anders Lee. Eberle has been clutch in the playoffs as well. He’s had 23 points in 30 playoff games in the last two seasons, and has been a big part of the offense since this trade.

1. Turning Griffin Reinhart into Mat Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier (June 26, 2015)

Three crafty moves by Snow during the 2015 NHL Draft changed the franchise forever. Snow had to trade former fourth overall pick Griffin Rrinhart before his trade value was completely diminished. So on draft night, Snow sent Reinhart to the Oilers for the 16th and 33rd overall picks. With the 16th overall pick, the Islanders drafted Mat Barzal. Then they traded that 33rd pick along with another second rounder to move in to the first round, trading up with the Lightning to get the 28th overall pick. At 28th overall, the Islanders drafted Anthony Beauviller. Five years later, Mat Barzal is the face of the franchise, Anthony Beauvillier is a constant top-6 forward and 20 goal scorer, while Reinhart just got one point in Edmonton, the Islanders had fleeced the Oilers once again. It’s safe to say that the 2015 NHL Draft was Garth Snow’s best day as Islander’s GM.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others