2006–07 New York Islanders season
| 2006–07 New York Islanders | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Atlantic |
| Conference | 8th Eastern |
| 2006–07 record | 40–30–12 |
| Home record | 22–13–6 |
| Road record | 18–17–6 |
| Goals for | 248 |
| Goals against | 240 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Garth Snow |
| Coach | Ted Nolan |
| Captain | Alexei Yashin |
| Alternate captains |
Mike Sillinger Brendan Witt |
| Arena | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| Average attendance | 12,886 (capacity 16,234) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jason Blake (40) |
| Assists | Tom Poti (38) |
| Points | Jason Blake (69) |
| Penalties in minutes | Brendan Witt (131) |
| Plus/minus | Radek Martinek (+19) |
| Wins | Rick DiPietro (32) |
| Goals against average | Wade Dubielewicz (2.06) |
The New York Islanders finished the 2006–07 season with a record of 40–30–12. They qualified for the playoffs in the last game of the regular season. They lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 4–1.
After the Islanders' upper management cleaned out the team's front office during the 2005–06 season, owner Charles Wang needed to find a new coach and general manager (GM). Initially, he hired Ted Nolan as coach and Neil Smith as GM, but Smith was removed after a few weeks on the job. Wang envisioned team management making decisions by committee, and Smith was uncomfortable working without the large amount of control that NHL managers usually have. Wang hired Garth Snow, who was the team's backup goalie the prior year, to take over. Pat LaFontaine, who had intended to return to the team as senior advisor to the owner, resigned the post the same day that Smith was fired. Reports indicated that LaFontaine decided the fit was not right for him after Wang ignored his advice to wait a few days before making a final decision about Smith.
Prior to Smith's firing, the Islanders made several free agent acquisitions, including defensemen Brendan Witt and Tom Poti and forwards Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon. Andy Hilbert, Sean Hill, Viktor Kozlov and Richard Park signed on after Smith was dismissed. Additionally, in a controversial move, the Islanders signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract, among the longest in professional sports history.
The Islanders opened the season on a losing streak, but then began to play well enough to temporarily move into first place in the Atlantic Division by December. On December 16, 2006, the Islanders traded Alexei Zhitnik to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Freddy Meyer and a conditional third round draft pick. On December 20, they then traded forward Mike York to the Flyers for forward Randy Robitaille and a fifth-round pick in 2008.
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