" Former Atlanta coach Bob Hartley is scheduled to meet with Islanders general manager Garth Snow about the head coaching vacancy on Wednesday, according to an NHL source. Hartley will be the second candidate to interview, but he and Snow won’t have to waste time with any get-to-know-you formalities.

Hartley once coached Snow at Cornwall in the AHL, and the two have maintained a good friendship ever since to the point of exchanging fairly regular e-mail messages. There’s little doubt Hartley meets Snow’s criteria for a coach in terms of discipline and providing structure and technical expertise. But the major question for Hartley is whether he has the patience for a long-term development project and the willingness to rely on young players in major roles.

After a 0-6 start with Atlanta last season, Hartley quickly was replaced behind the bench by Thrashers GM Don Waddell. That seemed like a short leash for a coach who led the Thrashers to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history the previous season, but it was clear Hartley had little support from the players in the locker room. He was thought to be a candidate for the Ottawa job recently, but there was speculation that Senators star Dany Heatley, who once played for Hartley, was against it."