Report: Islanders Get Permission To Speak To Ex-Panthers Coach Gallant

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Islanders don't anticipate hiring a new head coach before the offseason, but that doesn't mean the search process is going to wait as well.

Hours after firing Jack Capuano on Tuesday, reports surfaced saying the Isles had been granted permission by the Florida Panthers to speak to their former bench boss, Gerard Gallant.

The Isles required approval because technically Gallant is still the Panthers' property as he was relieved of his duties in November with more than two years left on his contract. TSN's Bob McKenzie later reported that New York had made the request to Florida well before Tuesday.

Last season, Gallant, an Islanders assistant from 2007-09 and later an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens, led Florida to its best regular season record in franchise history. However, despite winning the Atlantic Division with 103 points, the Panthers lost to the Islanders in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

Other coaches rumored to be possible candidates for the Islanders job include Bob Hartley and Marc Crawford, who each won the Stanley Cup at the helm of the Colorado Avalanche.

"We're going to look at everything," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said during a conference call on Tuesday.

In six-plus seasons with the Islanders, Capuano, 50, had a 227-192-64 record. He ranks second in franchise history in wins and reached the playoffs in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

However, the Isles (17-17-8) are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference, eight points behind Ottawa for the second wild card, with 40 games remaining. New York had been coming off back-to-back 100-point seasons and last season's playoff series win over Florida, its first postseason victory since 1993.

Doug Weight, as assistant coach and senior adviser to the general manager, was named interim coach by Snow.

Gallant, 53, went 96-64-25 during his two-plus seasons with the Panthers, including 11-10-1 this season before his surprising firing. He recently said he was not let go due to his failure to fully embrace analytics, as had been reported, adding sometimes he's a bit too stubborn for his own good.

Still, Gallant figures to be a hot commodity on the open market, provided there are many openings. As of Tuesday, only the Panthers and Islanders had fired their head coaches this season.

"When I got let go, for two or three days I got an unbelievable amount of support from people around the league, coaches and general managers, it was really nice," Gallant told ESPN recently. "When stuff like that happens, they know how tough it is. So I got a lot of support but also heard a lot of great advice. I've had a lot of friends saying, 'Make sure it's the right thing. You did a great job in Florida, you'll get another job.'"

Perhaps in Brooklyn. Stay tuned.