Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2023-24: Hotel California

[periferal]

If Malkin was firing Lou I don’t see why he wouldn’t have made that announcement And if Lou was firing Lambert I would think he would have made that announcement. To me this delay is one of two things: either Lou is staying and hiring a GM or Lou is retiring.

You would think, but Lou signed a handful of players 2 summers ago and literally never announced the deals. They were basically confirmed just before training camp open.

I put nothing past Lou in terms of secrecy. I bet he doesn't want others to know he eats food.

To that point, given the dead silence coming from the Isles that tells me Lou is still pulling the strings. If he was being fired then Malkin would control the message and clearly Malkin is not.

 

[CupHolders]

You would think, but Lou signed a handful of players 2 summers ago and literally never announced the deals. They were basically confirmed just before training camp open.

I put nothing past Lou in terms of secrecy. I bet he doesn't want others to know he eats food.

To that point, given the dead silence coming from the Isles that tells me Lou is still pulling the strings. If he was being fired then Malkin would control the message and clearly Malkin is not.

Lol... confirmation the Lou eats food.

Question from Mark Artes: What is your favorite cereal?

I prefer fresh fruit and berries for breakfast rather than cereal.

Isles Inbox: Lou Lamoriello

 

[Glory Days]

You would think, but Lou signed a handful of players 2 summers ago and literally never announced the deals. They were basically confirmed just before training camp open.

I put nothing past Lou in terms of secrecy. I bet he doesn't want others to know he eats food.

To that point, given the dead silence coming from the Isles that tells me Lou is still pulling the strings. If he was being fired then Malkin would control the message and clearly Malkin is not.

I would agree that Lou is still controlling the message which leads me to believe he is bringing in a GM to work under him.

 

[JKP]

I would agree that Lou is still controlling the message which leads me to believe he is bringing in a GM to work under him.

I would personally be surprised at that. When he was hired as NYI Prez and canned Snow to become the GM, John Shannon talked about how Lou really enjoys being the GM, really enjoys the GM meetings and isn't someone who wants to be a Prez role (which was why he left the TML to take the Isles gig).

 

[Glory Days]

I would personally be surprised at that. When he was hired as NYI Prez and canned Snow to become the GM, John Shannon talked about how Lou really enjoys being the GM, really enjoys the GM meetings and isn't someone who wants to be a Prez role (which was why he left the TML to take the Isles gig).

I do remember hearing that but perhaps this is a way for Lou to ease into retirement. Lou might not want the grind anymore but isn’t ready to do nothing.

 

[MJF]

I would personally be surprised at that. When he was hired as NYI Prez and canned Snow to become the GM, John Shannon talked about how Lou really enjoys being the GM, really enjoys the GM meetings and isn't someone who wants to be a Prez role (which was why he left the TML to take the Isles gig).

It could be that the owners mandated Lou to hire a GM. I don't think Malkin and Ledecky are pleased with the on-ice product the last 2 years, nor are they pleased with the team's contract vs cap situation.

 

[TeamKidd]

I'm going to guess that there will be some reorganization of the management and Lou will be moving to a Presidents role and they may be searching for a GM, although if they cannot find one they may preserve the current structure for now. hence the secrecy. They may be waiting for someone to shake loose from a playoff team currently as well. maybe someone from the devils or leafs?

 

[WangMustGo]

I do remember hearing that but perhaps this is a way for Lou to ease into retirement. Lou might not want the grind anymore but isn’t ready to do nothing.

I think Lou is going to help Malkin find his successor, and that is likely the reason no announcement is being made. Once that successor is found that person will decide the future of Lane, and after that Lou will announce his retirement.

 

[Tres Peleches]

I said it the other day...

The NHL Draft Lottery might be totally legit...But the NHL keeps doing things that sure make us question whether or not it is.

Yup. And Crosby going to a team which was threatening to leave Pittsburgh

So many coincidences

 

[Lame Lambert]

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Nepotism!

 

[MYIslanders]

Both of these scenarios are true unacceptable. But both are also very islanderesque…

 

[SRBisles]

We really trusting Botta these days? Ok.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

 

[periferal]

Yup. And Crosby going to a team which was threatening to leave Pittsburgh

So many coincidences

Yup.

I really think the NHL doesn't want "rebuilds" in it's big/original 6 markets. I mean the rangers winning the lottery in back to back years (with one year the guy who chooses the balls literally looking at them as he hit the button determining the winner).

We really trusting Botta these days? Ok.

Not trusting him, but what he's saying does make for a plausible theory if you cannot the dots.

Plus he's the only person in the media (and who's ever been around the Islanders) even speculating, much less reporting.

View attachment 706710

This is both very funny and very scary at the same time.

 

[Glory Days]

We really trusting Botta these days? Ok.

Botta is still mad at the Isles and will take any opportunity he gets to say something negative to incite the fan base.

 

[periferal]

Botta is still mad at the Isles and will take any opportunity he gets to say something negative to incite the fan base.

I actually think he's still mad at snow/wang, but since they're not in power I think he's mostly over that and just trying to remain relevant these days.

 

[MarsTBOW]

Short sample but I think we should keep this line together, they stack up pretty well....
Signing Engvall should be a priority...

 

[doublechili]

"If Lou Lamoriello wasn’t getting his way in talks with Scott Malkin, you would know by now. He’d be gone."

And we can say that's a reasonable assumption... how? Botta is annoying.

 

[duster19]

You would think, but Lou signed a handful of players 2 summers ago and literally never announced the deals. They were basically confirmed just before training camp open.

I put nothing past Lou in terms of secrecy. I bet he doesn't want others to know he eats food.

To that point, given the dead silence coming from the Isles that tells me Lou is still pulling the strings. If he was being fired then Malkin would control the message and clearly Malkin is not.

Yep. Lou and Lambert have spoken to the media because Lou doesn’t want Lou or Lambert to talk to the media yet. If Lou was fired or stepping down I think we would know by now.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

If Malkin was firing Lou I don’t see why he wouldn’t have made that announcement And if Lou was firing Lambert I would think he would have made that announcement. To me this delay is one of two things: either Lou is staying and hiring a GM or Lou is retiring.

Or Lou is staying as GM.

 

[doublechili]

If Malkin and Ledecky wanted to go in a very different direction - from the oldest of old school to the newest of new school - they'd wait for CAR's season to end and ask permission to interview Eric Tulsky, their Asst GM. He's an ex-blogger that the Canes hired 10+ years ago to help with analytics, and he's moved up to basically second in charge under Waddell. And he went from doing just analytics to now being heavily involved in all personnel decisions, contracts, cap, etc.. Not sure if CAR would let him go, especially within their division, but he did interview with CHI in 2022 for their GM opening.

 

[xECK29x]

If Malkin and Ledecky wanted to go in a very different direction - from the oldest of old school to the newest of new school - they'd wait for CAR's season to end and ask permission to interview Eric Tulsky, their Asst GM. He's an ex-blogger that the Canes hired 10+ years ago to help with analytics, and he's moved up to basically second in charge under Waddell. And he went from doing just analytics to now being heavily involved in all personnel decisions, contracts, cap, etc.. Not sure if CAR would let him go, especially within their division, but he did interview with CHI in 2022 for their GM opening.

100% this

 

[JKP]

If Malkin and Ledecky wanted to go in a very different direction - from the oldest of old school to the newest of new school - they'd wait for CAR's season to end and ask permission to interview Eric Tulsky, their Asst GM. He's an ex-blogger that the Canes hired 10+ years ago to help with analytics, and he's moved up to basically second in charge under Waddell. And he went from doing just analytics to now being heavily involved in all personnel decisions, contracts, cap, etc.. Not sure if CAR would let him go, especially within their division, but he did interview with CHI in 2022 for their GM opening.

Malkin was very diligent in his hiring of Lou and there was a lot of talk in the league about how he'd been talking to many people to get advice about hiring a Prez of Hockey Ops. Thus, I think if he were making a change it would be out there because he'd be talking to people and something would leak.

IMO, the operating under a shroud of silence is Lou thing, not an owner thing, and leads me to conclude he's still in charge since there hasn't been a peep.

 

[doublechili]

Malkin was very diligent in his hiring of Lou and there was a lot of talk in the league about how he'd been talking to many people to get advice about hiring a Prez of Hockey Ops. Thus, I think if he were making a change it would be out there because he'd be talking to people and something would leak.

IMO, the operating under a shroud of silence is Lou thing, not an owner thing, and leads me to conclude he's still in charge since there hasn't been a peep.

Good point, but Malkin was new then. He's now been plugged in for 5 years and may not need to go through that formal process again where it would get leaked. We'll see!