New York Islanders: Lamoriello Contract Not Renewed; John Collins Searching for Next GM

[MarsTBOW]

I’m so f***ing drunk! Lou is finallygoneC, f*** yea my dudes !!!

Smoked a Nice Cigar and Sipped $300 a bottle Scotch today when I heard the news!!!!

 

[scott99]

And this is perfectly fine. Now is the time for the Isles to be bad the next 2 years while the organization clears house and settles in with their new people. They could stockpile prospects like Mckenna and Dupont

Isles are never lucky enough to get a guy like McKenna, at least the last 16 years (got Tavares in 2009).

 

[Rehabguy]

So glad Lou is gone. He didn’t do much his first 2 seasons keeping the old roster largely intact and it was that roster that made the ECF. Then he got involved and made some terrible roster acquisitions mostly over the hill ex Devils and Chara. His poorest decision was letting Leddy walk and exposing Eberle. Those decisions changed the complexion of the team to a slower grittier team designed to match Trotz boring defensive system. But then he fires said coach and eventually hires an offensive minded coach in Roy but maintains the same roster better suited towards a defensive minded game. He actually made his best trades later in his tenure here. The Horvat and Romanov/George trade were good. Acquiring Tsyplakov, getting the BPA in Eiserman also good, getting Calum Ritchie and a first rounder also good. Wahlstrom pick not so good. Dobson may not pan out because he still is too much of a question mark. Holstrom was a good pick. But the Engvall, Mayfield contracts were pretty bad. Overall I have him a D for the job he did here as the team is in worst shape than when he arrived selling the future for the present which as we can all see was a big fat fail. If there is one silver lining in all of this it would be his decision to hire Roy. If the new GM has the wisdom to keep Roy onboard that may be Lou’s greatest contribution to this franchise in the long term.

 

[SI90]

It’s a Sicilian Message, Lou Lamoriello sleeps with the fishes.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I don't really get the celebratory mood. It's likely we are in for several more years of losing now....new front office to get acclimated, then a new coach....gonna be a shit show. I'm glad Lou's no longer at the helm, but this is far from a moment to be excited about it. We suck right now...and we'll probably suck in the near future.

 

[SI90]

I don't really get the celebratory mood. It's likely we are in for several more years of losing now....new front office to get acclimated, then a new coach....gonna be a shit show. I'm glad Lou's no longer at the helm, but this is far from a moment to be excited about it. We suck right now...and we'll probably suck in the near future.

Depends on who comes in and what their plan/philosophy is.

2018 July it was doom and gloom. Lou and Trotz were new and we ended up turning in around and becoming a legit franchise and team that first year and the following few years.

Not saying the new guys will have overnight success but there are worse situations come into. We have pieces to trade off and get future value you for if they choose to go that route and/or we use some good players that we can build around.

We also have some decent prospects finally.

Also, with a goalie like Sorokin playing 60 games a season we’re not going to be a bottom 5 team in the league. Just miss playoffs? Sure it’s possible but he’s too good and will steal games even on a rebuilding team. And at that point if the team true does decide to rebuild, I suspect Sorokin would be on the block although I wouldn’t trade him.

 

[Lame Lambert]

I don't really get the celebratory mood. It's likely we are in for several more years of losing now....new front office to get acclimated, then a new coach....gonna be a shit show. I'm glad Lou's no longer at the helm, but this is far from a moment to be excited about it. We suck right now...and we'll probably suck in the near future.

The team has been trending down for years and Lou did not articulate or demonstrate any course of corrective action. He overstayed his welcome and it was time to go.

 

[Rehabguy]

The team has been trending down for years and Lou did not articulate or demonstrate any course of corrective action. He overstayed his welcome and it was time to go.

If we are honest with ourselves he was a terrible hire in the first place. I get it Snow needed to be replaced but couldn’t the team have found a more forward thinking GM and one who always had an eye towards the future. He did exactly the same thing to the Devils and he overstayed his welcome there as well before he drove the franchise to the ground forcing a rebuild. I like Horvat as well but he’s 30 years old. People say he brought in respectability to the franchise simply because of his success in the 90’s. Other than that he didn’t do much but made the roster progressively worse with each passing year and then handicapped the team so it will stay there by signing ridiculously long contracts to players who are fringe NHL players. I don’t think his decades long gone reputation was worth the position the team is in today. He should have been fired the same season he fired Trotz. That’s four years too long. By the 2nd year Malkin should have realized that the guy had lost his touch eons ago and cleaned house then. All things considered he was a pretty bad GM in the short 6 years he was here. I think back to what Bill Torrey did in 6 years just to put in perspective how bad he was. How the hell does anyone destroy a roster in 6 years?

 

[LeapOnOver]

The team has been trending down for years and Lou did not articulate or demonstrate any course of corrective action. He overstayed his welcome and it was time to go.

Okay, but what does that have to do with my comment? Nothing you said backs up being celebratory.

 

[Rehabguy]

The celebratory mood is simply because he is gone. But we could have avoided this situation altogether if they didn’t hire him in the first place.

 

[IslesNorway]

I wouldn't mind a three headed monster or something like that. Ultimately, they need to build a stronger, better organization throughout and so it may well be the right call to have several guys in. Not that he should be GM, but I'm curious about Thomas Hickey in all this. He seems smart and well spoken, so perhaps he could do a front office job of sorts?

 

[Rehabguy]

I wouldn't mind a three headed monster or something like that. Ultimately, they need to build a stronger, better organization throughout and so it may well be the right call to have several guys in. Not that he should be GM, but I'm curious about Thomas Hickey in all this. He seems smart and well spoken, so perhaps he could do a front office job of sorts?

He’s good at analyzing on ice plays. I see no evidence that he’s good at the business side of things. From defender, to analyst, to GM- sounds very Snow-like but at least he had an MBA. As for the Kevin Weekes suggestion doesn’t he hate the Islanders and their fans? It always seemed like to me that he held a special scorn for the Isles whenever he was broadcasting.

 

[Rehabguy]

At the very least I would try to promote a proven and experienced former head coach to the position as having an understanding of the position and the close relationship between the two is critical to any organization’s success. I’d speak to Mike Sullivan. He has a questionable future with the Pens but I think it is time for him to move up the ladder.

 

[Throttle]

Bc Trotz is a candidate for the GM of the Year award in his first year on the job…

 

[IslesNorway]

I want no part of the ususal suspects who seemingly get new jobs for no reason. Failed coaches and inept GMs are abudant in NHL yet they seem to get new gigs despite never doing much. Hiring any of them would be just like running the hamster wheel. Give me something new, something fresh and someone who's actually worked in well functioning organizations.

And don't make former players GMs for no appartent reason.

 

[Islanders4Cups]

I don't really get the celebratory mood. It's likely we are in for several more years of losing now....new front office to get acclimated, then a new coach....gonna be a shit show. I'm glad Lou's no longer at the helm, but this is far from a moment to be excited about it. We suck right now...and we'll probably suck in the near future.

Agree, potential “shit show” or NOT is next.

It will all depend on what the ownership priorities are and if the vision presented by the candidates match.

Does ownership believe this organization is broken and needs major surgery OR is it continuing Lou’s vision of rebuilding on the fly and trying to remain competitive with butts in the seats which is why ownership stuck with Lou for so long?

I do NOT think we know yet but I suspect the latter.

If draft picks and prospects are emphasized, vets are bought or shipped out then we are in a rebuild and in for some pain.

Fans and ownership will need to be patient which is cringeworthy. You cannot be changing GMs when results are too slow and you hear crickets at UBS for the next 2+ years. I do not see season ticket sales magically going up this summer or anytime soon if major surgery is coming.

It is high risk and It brings a decade of rebuilding into play if you hire the wrong guy.

However, if we see any sign of “we can still win now” with some adjustments, slow rebuild like Lou was attempting, then that is something completely different. If the belief is we are 2-3 players away and convincing additions are made, then perhaps slow rebuild is on while slowly righting the ship in scouting, player development and Bridgeport

A very interesting early summer is ahead of us.

 

[YearlyLottery]

Agree, potential “shit show” or NOT is next.

It will all depend in what the ownership priorities are and if the vision presented by the candidates match.

Does ownership believe this organization is broken and needs major surgery OR is it continuing Lou’s vision of rebuilding on the fly and trying to remain competitive with butts in the seats which is why ownership stuck with Lou for so long?

I do NOT think we know yet but I suspect the latter.

If draft picks and prospects are emphasized, vets are bought or shipped out then we are in a rebuild and in for some pain.

Fans and ownership will need to be patient which is cringeworthy. You cannot be changing GMs when results are too slow and you hear crickets at UBS for the next 2+ years. I do not see season ticket sales magically going up this summer or anytime soon if major surgery is coming.

It is high risk and It brings a decade of rebuilding into play if you hire the wrong guy.

However, if we see any sign of “we can still win now” with some adjustments, slow rebuild like Lou was attempting, then that is something completely different. If the belief is we are 2-3 players away and convincing additions are made, then perhaps slow rebuild is on while slowly righting the ship in scouting, player development and Bridgeport

A very interesting early summer is ahead of us.

If the right guy is brought in there is no reason it should be any longer than 1-2 years max before beginning to compete again. A rising cap combined with trading vets like Lee, Pageau, Pelech/Pulock, along with taking chances in elite skating defensemen over the course of the next couple of years would do wonders for the organization.

You have to hit on your draft picks, you have to hit on a couple of your free agent pickups, and you have to use the rising cap to your advantage but it is 100% a possibility for this to be short.

 

[boredmale]

I wonder if Mitch Marner's Agent would like to be a GM.

 

[Lek]

If we are honest with ourselves he was a terrible hire in the first place. I get it Snow needed to be replaced but couldn’t the team have found a more forward thinking GM and one who always had an eye towards the future. He did exactly the same thing to the Devils and he overstayed his welcome there as well before he drove the franchise to the ground forcing a rebuild. I like Horvat as well but he’s 30 years old. People say he brought in respectability to the franchise simply because of his success in the 90’s. Other than that he didn’t do much but made the roster progressively worse with each passing year and then handicapped the team so it will stay there by signing ridiculously long contracts to players who are fringe NHL players. I don’t think his decades long gone reputation was worth the position the team is in today. He should have been fired the same season he fired Trotz. That’s four years too long. By the 2nd year Malkin should have realized that the guy had lost his touch eons ago and cleaned house then. All things considered he was a pretty bad GM in the short 6 years he was here. I think back to what Bill Torrey did in 6 years just to put in perspective how bad he was. How the hell does anyone destroy a roster in 6 years?

I think he was the right hire for the time....no one else would have brought "instant" respectability. After year four though it was clear it was time to move on. I do not blame Lou for that, i blame ownership. They should have seen that Lou peaked at being an asset as our GM....i use peaked loosely.

In any event, this is not a bold or shocking move, this is the right move....will be interesting and fun to see how it all plays out and evolves.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Agree, potential “shit show” or NOT is next.

It will all depend in what the ownership priorities are and if the vision presented by the candidates match.

Does ownership believe this organization is broken and needs major surgery OR is it continuing Lou’s vision of rebuilding on the fly and trying to remain competitive with butts in the seats which is why ownership stuck with Lou for so long?

I do NOT think we know yet but I suspect the latter.

If draft picks and prospects are emphasized, vets are bought or shipped out then we are in a rebuild and in for some pain.

Fans and ownership will need to be patient which is cringeworthy. You cannot be changing GMs when results are too slow and you hear crickets at UBS for the next 2+ years. I do not see season ticket sales magically going up this summer or anytime soon if major surgery is coming.

It is high risk and It brings a decade of rebuilding into play if you hire the wrong guy.

However, if we see any sign of “we can still win now” with some adjustments, slow rebuild like Lou was attempting, then that is something completely different. If the belief is we are 2-3 players away and convincing additions are made, then perhaps slow rebuild is on while slowly righting the ship in scouting, player development and Bridgeport

A very interesting early summer is ahead of us.

Yeah, I mean this sums up my thoughts. Nothing to be happy or excited about at all....

 

[LeapOnOver]

If the right guy is brought in there is no reason it should be any longer than 1-2 years max before beginning to compete again. A rising cap combined with trading vets like Lee, Pageau, Pelech/Pulock, along with taking chances in elite skating defensemen over the course of the next couple of years would do wonders for the organization.

You have to hit on your draft picks, you have to hit on a couple of your free agent pickups, and you have to use the rising cap to your advantage but it is 100% a possibility for this to be short.

Of course everything starts at 100% possibility, but the kind of stuff you are suggesting is going to take more than 1-2 years to happen. You don't get to trade aging vets and sign star UFAs at the same time. Any prospects we get are going to be years away. The only chance we have of watching winning hockey is if someone comes in and makes moves exactly like Lamoreillo, just does it better.

 

[seafoam]

Had a dream Thomas Hickey was hoisting the Stanley Cup as GM of the New York Islanders.

 

[Islanders4Cups]

If the right guy is brought in there is no reason it should be any longer than 1-2 years max before beginning to compete again. A rising cap combined with trading vets like Lee, Pageau, Pelech/Pulock, along with taking chances in elite skating defensemen over the course of the next couple of years would do wonders for the organization.

You have to hit on your draft picks, you have to hit on a couple of your free agent pickups, and you have to use the rising cap to your advantage but it is 100% a possibility for this to be short.

Just about everyone including me said look out for the Detroit Red Wings how many years ago.

Imagine even the great Stanley Cup winning player and GM Steve Yzerman has been humbled with rebuilding a franchise since 2019. The Red Wings have not been in the playoffs since 2016.

Lou has had better success.

Call it exhibit A of the potential risks and pitfalls of a complete rebuild.

 

[xECK29x]

Had a dream Thomas Hickey was hoisting the Stanley Cup as GM of the New York Islanders.

Floated here, great listen this morning lots of insight into how Lou isolated himself with others, especially Collins who wants fans to have more access to players and players more involved in the community

 

[GM4Hire]

When I heard that Lou was joining the Isles, my first thought was Hunter was coming to GM. I thought that made so much sense, Lou being the face of Isles and a successful up and comer in Hunter to guide our roster personnel was going to bring us back to the glory years. Sadly it was only Lou. Wish him all the best but it was time.

With the draft coming up so quickly, Roy to me would be the choice with some experience on the junior GM front but also knowing the roster and system.
Having an eye for talent, I’m sure it was he who wanted George as the call up early in the season not Lou