Lou Lamoriello and Patrick Roy will return for Islanders next season
Lou Lamoriello quickly ended any offseason speculation about his own job status as Islanders president/general manager.
“The two gentlemen that are up here will be back next year,” Lamoriello said on Friday during a joint media session with coach Patrick Roy to conclude the team’s breakup day at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.
“You’ll have nothing else to write about now,” the Hall of Fame executive, who will turn 82 in October, added in a mostly playful rebuke.
It will be the seventh season at the Islanders’ helm for Lamoriello and the first full one for Roy, who replaced the fired Lane Lambert on Jan. 20 and prodded the Islanders to an 8-0-1 finish and a fifth playoff berth in six seasons. But the Islanders, who finished third in the Metropolitan Division with a 39-27-16 record, were eliminated by the Hurricanes in the first round for the second straight season, this time in five games.
“The playoffs feel like unfinished business because I thought we played really well,” Roy said. “Coming up short, it doesn’t make you feel good about it. At the same time, seeing the improvement of our team and the way we played certainly motivates me to be more ready for next year.”
Lamoriello also expressed optimism that these Islanders can contend for a Stanley Cup.
“First of all, I’m excited,” Lamoriello said. “Next season started the next morning. As far as what transpired, I think a lot has happened extremely positive. The transition [was] very, very difficult. I take full responsibility. I put Patrick in a very difficult situation coming in at the time he came in.”
Lamoriello confirmed that he spoke to ownership about his return.
“Well, my conversations are very simplistic,” he said. “As committed as ever. Ownership believes in the group that we have here and gives us every opportunity to have success by the support that’s given and also whatever we need, we’re able to get.”
Of course, with Lamoriello staying put, the question now is what the Islanders need to advance past the first round for the first time since 2021.
Lamoriello acknowledged that the increase in the NHL salary cap to a projected $87.7 million from $83.5 million should add some flexibility in making trades.
“We’ll make whatever changes have to be made,” he said. “But we’re not going to just make a change for the sake of change.”
Lamoriello said Friday was not the day to talk in specifics. He said no decisions have been made about the rest of the coaching staff — assistants Doug Houda, John MacLean and Benoit Desrosiers, director of goaltending Mitch Korn and goalie coach Piero Greco — or the staff for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, which missed the playoffs.
Next up for Lamoriello is the NHL Draft on June 28-29 in Las Vegas. The Islanders own the 18th overall pick and, if Lamoriello doesn’t trade it away, it will be the first time the team has picked in the first round since 2019. The NHL free-agent market opens on July 1.
Presumably it should be a busy offseason for the returning Lamoriello.
“It’s been three years now where we haven’t gotten over the hump in the first round,” Mathew Barzal said. “There’s a high standard here with Lou and Patty and our owners put the money into the new rink [UBS Arena]. Just because we got to the first round, it’s not a successful season, per se. So I want to be a part of something that has that kind of standard and wants to win and I definitely feel that with Lou.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
