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

[PhysicalGraffiti]

Do the fans have any say?

I say let @Bones45 take a shot at things. Maybe Josh Bailey for a coaching gig?

 

[Big L]

Do the fans have any say?

I say let @Bones45 take a shot at things. Maybe Josh Bailey for a coaching gig?

Josh Bailey, Director of Chains

 

[sebsisles]

You guys text each other?

We grew up together haha...one of my best friends

 

[SI90]

You guys text each other?

Know each other personally for over 20 years. We’re like family.

Its not on some creepy stuff like I’d never give out my number to Broadway Jay

 

[miscs75]

So the next coach tandem will be Jukka Jalonen/Olli Jokinen? GM Kurri or Kekäläinen? Oh shieeeet.

 

[periferal]

If you look at Buffalo fans, they say they’ll stop rooting for the team if Lou goes to them. They’re dreading it

All hyperbole. Terry Pegula is their Charles Wang. If they're still rooting for the team now they'll stick through a Lou regime (not that it'll be pretty).

 

[seafoam]

@periferal I feel the need to admit I was wrong about something we went back and forth with because if we cannot admit our wrongs we cannot celebrate our rights.

You were right about Lou not changing any of the scouts. I felt this was something he must have done because why would he have kept every single one but it seems he did that.

In all fairness the back-to-back Eastern Conference finals teams were largely Snow rosters and thus selected by Snow scouts. Lamoriello made a few shrewd moves via free agency to polish the roster but in general Trent Klatt can identify NHL talent. It’s a shame they wasted Nino, Reinhart, MDC, and Strome though…

 

[MJF]

Do we think Lou is done, or will he look for another job?

Sometimes the game tells you you're done. Ask Josh Bailey about that.

 

[impaaaaaact]

All hyperbole. Terry Pegula is their Charles Wang. If they're still rooting for the team now they'll stick through a Lou regime (not that it'll be pretty).

Buffalo could get the best of the Lou bump without the overstay. Dude is 82, probably not going to be working until he's 90. They should welcome him

 

[periferal]

Buffalo could get the best of the Lou bump without the overstay. Dude is 82, probably not going to be working until he's 90. They should welcome him

Let me tell you something...

If you are already thinking about how to get rid of someone before you even hire them...Then you should never hire them.

 

[leeroggy]

Let me tell you something...

If you are already thinking about how to get rid of someone before you even hire them...Then you should never hire them.

Charlie Sheen disagrees with that . . .

 

[periferal]

In all fairness the back-to-back Eastern Conference finals teams were largely Snow rosters and thus selected by Snow scouts. Lamoriello made a few shrewd moves via free agency to polish the roster but in general Trent Klatt can identify NHL talent. It’s a shame they wasted Nino, Reinhart, MDC, and Strome though…

But what you're not considering might be even more important...

1. We're not sniffing anywhere near the Eastern Conference Finals without Trotz.
2. Snow/their scouts got is so wrong when it mattered most....The top 5 picks. Imagine they hit on the picks that were Niederreiter, Strome, and Dal Colle (and their worst pick was Griffin Reinhart, but at least they salvaged that travesty). There were a handful of excellent players that went just after them and any one of them, much less 2-3 of them, could've been the difference betwee the ECF...And a Stanley Cup.

So for all the nice Cizikas, Lee, Toews later round picks, the scouting department still failed miserably. You cannot bust on top 5 picks, and when you do it multiple years in a row you need to be replaced.

 

[Bones45]

Do the fans have any say?

I say let @Bones45 take a shot at things. Maybe Josh Bailey for a coaching gig?

Dont think that hasnt crossed my mind.

It would be the absolute end of me.

 

[miscs75]

Do the fans have any say?

I say let @Bones45 take a shot at things. Maybe Josh Bailey for a coaching gig?

Give him a part in the player development department along with Hickey and Cal. Recent pros who had a decently long career and are familiar with the current game. Hickey whoever knows the game extremely well and is well spoken which is prime to be given a spot in the hockey ops department in future years once he learns the ins and outs of the business side. I’m over with seeing Cairns/Webb/Asham/etc being dragged around for year after year when their highlight is coaching the peewee team for the Quebec tournament.

 

[Throttle]

In all fairness the back-to-back Eastern Conference finals teams were largely Snow rosters and thus selected by Snow scouts. Lamoriello made a few shrewd moves via free agency to polish the roster but in general Trent Klatt can identify NHL talent. It’s a shame they wasted Nino, Reinhart, MDC, and Strome though…

Sure, a bunch of that talent was selected by Snow and his scouts.

Where did the last three ‘best’ goalies the Isles had come from? Lehner (Lou), Varly (Lou), and Sorokin (picked by Snow/staff a big question on him coming over under that group though, so 50/75% credit to Lou).

Lou refined the roster and got the 2nd best coach in Isles history. People make that like it was a no brainer, that’s disingenuous. Trotz could have waited for another team - certainly one with much better talent on it vs one that just lost its franchise player. But, he didn’t. He signed on with the Isles.

Trotz was in a position to wait and let teams come to him and meet his asking price. Apparently, Lou, yes, Lou signed him on. Trotz actually held all the cards on his next move. Yet, he ended up with the Isles.

Lou has plenty of mess ups for sure, but the tunnel vision that ‘any GM’ could have done what he did is laughable.

Yzerman didn’t make the moves that his successor did, the next guy made some gutsy moves and the team won 2x.

EDM sunset Holland (he’s old, look at the cap! Yada yada), so they go with Jeff Jackson that messes up the roster/cap on his own after being one goal away from a Cup under Holland, they lost two players bc of that gong show GMing, and now absent a miracle that team is not making the Cup.

 

[The Lighthouse]

Lou refined the roster and got the 2nd best coach in Isles history. People make that like it was a no brainer, that’s disingenuous. Trotz could have waited for another team - certainly one with much better talent on it vs one that just lost its franchise player. But, he didn’t. He signed on with the Isles.

Trotz was in a position to wait and let teams come to him and meet his asking price. Apparently, Lou, yes, Lou signed him on. Trotz actually held all the cards on his next move. Yet, he ended up with the Isles.

Lou has plenty of mess ups for sure, but the tunnel vision that ‘any GM’ could have done what he did is laughable.

Judging by the other coaching "talent" Snow could manage to bring in, I have no trouble believing Trotz doesn't come here without Lou.

 

[Throttle]

Judging by the other coaching "talent" Snow could manage to bring in, I have no trouble believing Trotz doesn't come here without Lou.

Agreed. Trotz got jacked around by Washington bc they wanted to hire his assistant for pennies on the dollar. What happened with that move?

Trotz wanted to get paid, leverage his Cup win, and probably wanted an honest straight shooting boss for a change.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

We grew up together haha...one of my best friends

It's great that you found your soulmate at an early age.

 

[IslesNorway]

Lou deserves a lot of credit for turning the franchise around and he brought respectability back to Long Island. However, when he fired Trotz it was a clear sign he was losing it. He should have been removed then and there.

 

[doublechili]

I'm seeing lists of candidates for GM/Pres and am seeing names like McPhee and Jeff Gorton. Both of those guys are employed as the head guy with good organizations. I realize these lists are mostly pure speculation, but can they even leave, or would they? I can maybe see them leaving for the GM job, but not for the same position with a different team.

 

[Throttle]

I'm seeing lists of candidates for GM/Pres and am seeing names like McPhee and Jeff Gorton. Both of those guys are employed as the head guy with good organizations. I realize these lists are mostly pure speculation, but can they even leave, or would they? I can maybe see them leaving for the GM job, but not for the same position with a different team.

Money, new challenges, closer to family, etc. There’s always a reason people make a move. Maybe McPhee misses being a builder vs an overseer. Only the person knows what they want.

 

[miscs75]

Lou deserves a lot of credit for turning the franchise around and he brought respectability back to Long Island. However, when he fired Trotz it was a clear sign he was losing it. He should have been removed then and there.

He never really fired Trotz. Trotz stepped away so he can take time to decide his future/be with family. It was a firing on paper but not the same thing as Donald Trump on The Apprentice. I’d say it’s more comparable to a guy on LTIR vs a contract buyout. If Trotz decided he wanted to come back and coach that final year, Lou would have made it happen.

 

[doublechili]

I'm really curious about the timing of the new hire. If it's true that they were thinking about firing Lou in December, they must already have started making a list of candidates and maybe even quietly sent out feelers to some, or informal inquiries about them. In other words, it's not like they just started thinking about this last week, and they could be further along in this process than we think. If candidates are employed with teams in the playoffs that will delay things. But if they're not employed with another team, or at least not one in the playoffs, we could see an announcement sooner than we may think.

 

[doublechili]

Money, new challenges, closer to family, etc. There’s always a reason people make a move. Maybe McPhee misses being a builder vs an overseer. Only the person knows what they want.

But would their current employer let them leave for the same position with another team if they're still under contract? I guess we may find out soon enough!

 

[gordie43]

But what you're not considering might be even more important...

1. We're not sniffing anywhere near the Eastern Conference Finals without Trotz.
2. Snow/their scouts got is so wrong when it mattered most....The top 5 picks. Imagine they hit on the picks that were Niederreiter, Strome, and Dal Colle (and their worst pick was Griffin Reinhart, but at least they salvaged that travesty). There were a handful of excellent players that went just after them and any one of them, much less 2-3 of them, could've been the difference betwee the ECF...And a Stanley Cup

They did get the Niederriter pick right. They just didn’t handle him correctly. Would have fit well in the top six if they had not used him as part of cap floor shenanigans. Would have been nice have kept him and delt something else for Clutterbuck.

Always felt they got fleece on that deal. Clutter filled an important role, but not for a top five pick.