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

[Throttle]

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.

Allegedly Lou fired Trotz based on exit interviews. The next move was to bring in Lambert to open things up, how’d that work out? Half a season and he went back to Trotz system.

One can assume some players wanted to open things up more. Trotz probably (and rightly so) did not believe the roster could succeed ‘as is’ to do that. So, Lou fell for the players complaints and also didn’t add to the roster to help open it up.

Then the team’s highest paid player rewards
New coach Lambert by not scoring a goal for 17 games. And still chasing the ‘unleashed’ dream.

 

[Throttle]

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!

It’s all contractual and things can be worked out. Easier if it’s a west coast team losing someone vs an east coast one, no owner wants to let their guy go and build against him - it’s still a business in that sense.

Hey Brian Burke is currently free…

 

[leeroggy]

Give him a part in the player development department along with Hickey and Cal.

Wonderful . . . 12 forwards always looking to pass . . . at least we'd win the Time of Possession stat!

 

[miscs75]

Wonderful . . . 12 forwards always looking to pass . . . at least we'd win the Time of Possession stat!

Bailey can teach the prospects how to thread the needle. That might help finding open lanes or possibly make the power play average.

 

[doublechili]

Looking at the AGM candidates, the concern is that you're making someone a GM and they have limited or relatively short-term experience, or they're mostly an analytics person, or a scouting person, etc.. If they want an AGM that has extensive and broad experience, I'm not sure that anyone checks as many boxes as Ryan Martin. FWIW. Many roles with DET and NYR, GM of AHL teams, Team USA, etc..

If they're going to go with a retread, I know some people will disagree but Kekalainen might be my preference at this point. He built a good CBJ team and did it with small market limitations. Just don't hire John Davidson as his boss and maybe he'll be great.

 

[Rehabguy]

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

And 6 years later we have seen what Lou "did". By now I would have thought the Kool Aid wore off.

Any GM with a team in the position the Isles were- a team needing a head coach and with owners willing to meet Trotz demands would have hired him. The Isles were the only team looking for a head coach and with owners with deep pockets. If the the Caps met his demands there is no way Trotz would have been on the Island and Lou's ineptitude at his age would have been even more exposed.

The only thing Lou did was hire Trotz. The rest of what he did- sign Zajac, Parise, Greene, Palmieri, asst. coaches Mclean and Gomez. Sign Chara. Give away a first rounder for Pageau. Pick Wahlstrom. Fires Trotz. Hires Lambert. Fail big time to bring in any coveted UFAs and holds onto Snow's roster that was in need of a retool 4 years ago and repeating like a broken record that he"believed" in this roster. That's what he "did" It is indeed laughable to think that any GM could have been so foolish.

 

[Throttle]

And 6 years later we have seen what Lou "did". By now I would have thought the Kool Aid wore off.

Oh no, he tried to win. It happens. Most owners support their GM that lead their team to the conference finals and playoffs. Fans always complain when a team doesn’t do it what it wants them to do. They need a letter to be consoled.

 

[IslesNorway]

I don’t get the Kekelainen love of some people. He did alright in Columbus but they never really got anywhere did they? They are no better now, of course but I can’t see how he is the guy to take the Isles to the next level.

Maybe he can be brought in as head scout but for GM we need someone better.

 

[Rehabguy]

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.

And before he fired Trotz he left Snow's roster largely intact but only meddled with that roster after firing Trotz. The team didn't get younger, it didn't get more competitive, there were no coveted UFAs to speak of he just hired a bunch of ex-Devils, slow old guys, and traded all the good skaters on the team with the intention to bring in defensive minded stalwarts to match a defensive minded system and then inexplicably hires a coach who is all about creating offense. Yes he had lost it.

 

[Rehabguy]

Oh no, he tried to win. It happens. Most owners support their GM that lead their team to the conference finals and playoffs. Fans always complain when a team doesn’t do it what it wants them to do. They need a letter to be consoled.

Clearly he tried to win but unfortunately at this point in his career he showed he has no idea how to do that. So adios.

 

[Throttle]

And 6 years later we have seen what Lou "did". By now I would have thought the Kool Aid wore off.

Any GM with a team in the position the Isles were- a team needing a head coach and with owners willing to meet Trotz demands would have hired him. The Isles were the only team looking for a head coach and with owners with deep pockets. If the the Caps met his demands there is no way Trotz would have been on the Island and Lou's ineptitude at his age would have been even more exposed.

The only thing Lou did was hire Trotz. The rest of what he did- sign Zajac, Parise, Greene, Palmieri, asst. coaches Mclean and Gomez. Sign Chara. Give away a first rounder for Pageau. Pick Wahlstrom. Fires Trotz. Hires Lambert. Fail big time to bring in any coveted UFAs and holds onto Snow's roster that was in need of a retool 4 years ago and repeating like a broken record that he"believed" in this roster. That's what he "did" It is indeed laughable to think that any GM could have been so foolish.

The old ‘he didn’t do anything but hire Trotz’ but here’s the 40 things he did I don’t like argument.

People try and fail - it’s ok. One guy wins annually. One guy.

 

[Rehabguy]

The old ‘he didn’t do anything but hire Trotz’ but here’s the 40 things he did I don’t like argument.

People try and fail - it’s ok. One guy wins annually. One guy.

Hey we can bring the guy back if that's what you and everyone wants. We can also buyout Barzal's contract to make the team better.

 

[doublechili]

Any GM with a team in the position the Isles were- a team needing a head coach and with owners willing to meet Trotz demands would have hired him.

Garth Snow wouldn't have. Or, at least, Trotz wouldn't have said "yes".

 

[doublechili]

I don’t get the Kekelainen love of some people. He did alright in Columbus but they never really got anywhere did they? They are no better now, of course but I can’t see how he is the guy to take the Isles to the next level.

Maybe he can be brought in as head scout but for GM we need someone better.

Not sure about "love", but of the available GM retread candidates, who would you say is better than Kekalainen? I can't really think of anyone.

The owners are either going to pick a GM retread or not a GM retread. I'm just thinking of who might be the best candidates in each category.

 

[Rehabguy]

Garth Snow wouldn't have. Or, at least, Trotz wouldn't have said "yes".

Understood, but there's no way of knowing that really would have been the case. That's a rationalization only heard in hockey forums where Snow is unpopular.

 

[doublechili]

Understood, but there's no way of knowing that really would have been the case. That's a rationalization only heard in hockey forums where Snow is unpopular.

I didn't realize that was talked about in so many hockey forums!

 

[Rehabguy]

I didn't realize that was talked about in so many hockey forums!

Haha. No only this one apparently.

 

[periferal]

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

Counterpoint...

Snow never would've even reached out to Trotz if he was available because he needed to be the smartest guy in the room.

I mean anyone who can convince wang to not just hire him, but give him a lifetime contract...

 

[The Lighthouse]

Counterpoint...

Snow never would've even reached out to Trotz if he was available because he needed to be the smartest guy in the room.

I mean anyone who can convince wang to not just hire him, but give him a lifetime contract...

Oh I have no trouble believing that either.

 

[periferal]

Oh no, he tried to win. It happens. Most owners support their GM that lead their team to the conference finals and playoffs. Fans always complain when a team doesn’t do it what it wants them to do. They need a letter to be consoled.

Some people write letters.


Others just complain on internet message boards.

 

[SRBisles]

Some people write letters.


Others just complain on internet message boards.

And some do both.

 

[periferal]

Not sure about "love", but of the available GM retread candidates, who would you say is better than Kekalainen? I can't really think of anyone.

The owners are either going to pick a GM retread or not a GM retread. I'm just thinking of who might be the best candidates in each category.

How many GMs got a 2nd opportunity at the job and were the reason for their new teams' success at that 2nd stop?

And how many out of work GMs were hired and had success at a 2nd stop?

There's usually a reason why a GM gets fired, and frankly I can't think of one fired/unemployed GM I want to give another shot vs an up and coming executive (like Darche).

 

[Rehabguy]

Also I'd like to counterpoint that thought that Lou Lamiorello brought "instant credibility" to the Islanders. While that may have been true for a minute, a day, a month or possibly a year it didn't take long before reality snuck in and every hockey fan in the universe realized we hired a 76 year old (now 82!) over the hill man to run our organization, all other fans were cracking Lou jokes at our expense after his horrible but predictable contract signings, and broadcasters on national TV were shown fast asleep at their desk after televising a period of Islander hockey. Lou might have brought instant credibility but he also brought a lot of embarrassment and humiliation to this organization.

There is only one way to bring true instant credibility to an NHL team and that's by winning the Stanley Cup. Period. End of story. I don't care if it's Garth Snow, Mickey Mouse, or George Steinbrenner what matters is winning championships. The aura, old accomplishments don't get us any closer to that. Lou Lamiorello did not bring us any closer to that goal. In fact, he brought us farther. I could care less about appearances, to me what matters is the Cup.

You want to know what else is true instant credibility. It's not some guy brown nosing his boss and saying stupid things like I joined as head coach of the New York Islanders because of Lou Lamiorello nor is it saying stupid things like "I still believe in Engvall", or "I still believe in Duclair". NO it's holding people accountable and saying things like, "this is the roster Lou gave me", or "Duclair was god awful" or demoting some underperforming player's 12 million dollar ass to the AHL. That's holding people accountable. That's true instant credibility. Those are the qualities I want to see in the next GM. Appearances or reputations don't matter, results do.

 

[doublechili]

How many GMs got a 2nd opportunity at the job and were the reason for their new teams' success at that 2nd stop?

And how many out of work GMs were hired and had success at a 2nd stop?

There's usually a reason why a GM gets fired, and frankly I can't think of one fired/unemployed GM I want to give another shot vs an up and coming executive (like Darche).

Cup-winning GMs in their 2nd or later GM job in the past 45 years:

Bill Torrey (4 Cups)
Jim Rutherford (2 Cups)
Craig Patrick (2 Cups)
Dean Lombardi (2 Cups)
Doug Armstrong (1 Cup)
Brian Burke (1 Cup)

 

[leeroggy]

And 6 years later we have seen what Lou "did". By now I would have thought the Kool Aid wore off.

Any GM with a team in the position the Isles were- a team needing a head coach and with owners willing to meet Trotz demands would have hired him. The Isles were the only team looking for a head coach and with owners with deep pockets. If the the Caps met his demands there is no way Trotz would have been on the Island and Lou's ineptitude at his age would have been even more exposed.

The only thing Lou did was hire Trotz. The rest of what he did- sign Zajac, Parise, Greene, Palmieri, asst. coaches Mclean and Gomez. Sign Chara. Give away a first rounder for Pageau. Pick Wahlstrom. Fires Trotz. Hires Lambert. Fail big time to bring in any coveted UFAs and holds onto Snow's roster that was in need of a retool 4 years ago and repeating like a broken record that he"believed" in this roster. That's what he "did" It is indeed laughable to think that any GM could have been so foolish.

But Drury did pretty the same with the ability to lure FA's! Drury is the Lou Costello of hockey.