www.nytimes.com
Scott Malkin is a bigger idiot than I thought. At least when it comes to owning a hockey team.This is not good. The problem? L-O-U.
Staple: Does anyone want to be an Islanders exec? What I’m hearing about a fraught search
Could Lou Lamoriello stay on in some capacity after all? What would that mean for a new Isles GM? The situation is getting murkier.
I’m flabbergasted, and not being sarcastic. Are we letting this guy go or not?
www.theelmonters.com
Old news.Hearing: Islanders Interviewing Tampa's Mathieu Darche For General Manager Job
Tampa's assistant GM has been linked to Islanders for a bit. But, given that the Lignting are recently eliminated, now official meetings can occur.
Did anyone post this?
If that is the reason, and its hampering the search for a new GM, then Malkin has to get involved more. John Collins is a minority owner and is the operating owner of the team for just such a reason. He wanted to fire Lou in December (a time when it made the most sense to do so) but Malkin stopped that. A few weeks ago it was announced Lou’s contract is not being renewed. Is Malkin intervening again to keep Lou around as a president emeritus? It’s throwing molasses into the GM search for what should be an attractive job.
Things change. If Lou’s long shadow keeps us from getting the best candidates because they want the same autonomy Lou asked for when he arrived but feel the won’t get it then Lou has to go.
Lets pray you don't have to.
The only somewhat palatable scenario for Lou to stay past 6/30 would be as one of at least two (preferably three) special advisors to a first time GM like Darche or Campbell, AND if they're free to replace any/all of the current front office and scouting staff. Lou should not be the POHO, or the only Special Advisor.
"It's not that big of a deal to still have Lou around," they said...
"A process that seemed to be moving along fluidly now … isn’t, according to sources around the league. And the prospect of principal owner Scott Malkin keeping Lou Lamoriello beyond June 30, when Lamoriello’s contract as president and general manager expires, looms over the search.
The wrinkle in all these machinations is Lamoriello. A league source said last week that Malkin, who has the final say on this hire, hopes to keep Lamoriello in some capacity. Most likely, that would be as an adviser to whoever takes the GM job. If the Islanders had gotten Holland to say yes or gotten to pitch Gorton, those two would have taken both titles that Lamoriello currently holds, so that wouldn’t have left room for the 82-year-old to stay on.
However, now that the Islanders are talking to candidates who they might not see holding both jobs, a spot for Lamoriello might make sense for Malkin. That might not make as much sense for a potential GM, as one executive, who is not an Islanders candidate, with another team said last week: “That’s Lou’s team. It’s going to be tough to make it your own with him still there.”
Other potential issues with Lamoriello remaining in the Islanders front office are whether a new GM wants to replace assistant GMs Chris Lamoriello, Lou’s son, or Steve Pellegrini, as well as any of the scouting and development staff that Lamoriello has overseen for seven years, as well as what to do with coach Patrick Roy, who has three years left on his contract.
Lamoriello has advised dozens of GMs in an unofficial way over the years. He’s almost always the first fellow GM to reach out when a first-time executive takes over another team, offering support and advice. If he were joining a new team in an advisory role, it would be ideal. Here, though, it’s fraught and could be a reason this job is still available after three weeks, including a week in which the Islanders won the draft lottery."
