New York City isn't a huge hockey town. While it's gotten much better, especially as the play of the Rangers has improved, it's still not a huge topic on the sports talk stations or in the newspapers. But while New York doesn't love hockey, it does love a dramatic sporting trainwreck, so even if a sport isn't popular, an imploding coach can still grab some ink by ruining his team. Unfortunately for the NHL local teams, there's really no coaching drama, so as a result, you don't see very much written about Rangers coach Tom Renney, who's doing an average job so far this season. And if the Rangers aren't getting much attention, you can be sure the Islanders, who live in that second-class tier of New York City sports (along with the Mets, Jets, and Nets, strangely enough) aren't either. And it's a shame, because I'm really loving Isles coach Ted Nolan more and more. This Greg Logan post covers most of the reasons why:

1. As a coach, he only thinks strategy. He doesn't think about payroll or personalities or feelings. That's what lets him put a checker like Richard Park on the top line and move a more offensive (but also gritty) Ruslan Fedotenko to the checking line.
2. As a person, he just seems so centered. He managed to protect the dignity of Chris Simon and Canada's First Nation while still expressing disgust for Simon's insane stomping of Jarkko Ruutu. He also seems genuinely proud of his own kids, one of who is expected to make his NHL debut for the Hurricanes tonight.

Now, if he could only get the Isles to score.

It's funny. When the NHL first started with its salary cap, it didn't seem like such a big deal, since everyone was starting from scratch. But now, a few years into it, you're starting to see the challenges and constraints of the system. And while I'm sure NHL owners love the cost certainty, I can't believe there's an active NHL GM who doesn't sometimes yearn for the old days, when there was some latitude to overspend.
Take Anaheim. They had to give away Andy McDonald in exchange for Doug Weight (login info.). Weight was the best option for Anaheim, in that he's a decent player going off the cap next season. And McDonald is a huge building block for St. Louis.
But Anaheim isn't the only team struggling with the "problem" of too many good, young players and veterans. Larry Brooks' whole column is dedicated to the cap troubles the Rangers can look forward to next season.