Fans who thought Lou Lamoriello's inability to make the necessary changes to the roster before the trade deadline was his downfall can forget it. The veteran general manager, who will be 82 by the start of the 2024-25 season, has already been told by ownership that he will remain in the job.
The same goes for bench boss Patrick Roy, who was appointed on January 20th. Since taking over for Lane Lambert, he has led the New York Islanders to 20 wins, 12 losses, and five losses in overtime or shootouts. The 45 points collected were enough to give the Islanders a ticket to the playoffs, but the postseason ended with five short playoff games. Here are my takeaways from the video published on the Islanders website:
What Lamoriello had to say
During their 15-minute media appearance, Lamoriello and Roy answered questions from journalists on a variety of topics. Without being asked about any changes the offseason might bring, Lamoriello explained:
“Before we begin, let me answer another question, and this one is common… What changes can and should happen? Let's talk about it, let's talk about it together. We spend a lot of time together and figure out what's best, but we're just excited.”
For me, this means Roy will be involved in player personnel decisions. This would be a good thing for him, considering he resigned from the Colorado Avalanche after failing to be fully involved in player personnel decisions (For Patrick Roy, the dispute over the Avs' personnel decisions was a big part of his decision to resign). It was a turning point”) denver post, August 11, 2016). Of course, it's one thing to say this in a press conference and quite another to do it. If Lamoriello had talked to Roy and he always ignored his advice, he would have just paid lip service to the press. Unless, of course, Roy has truly grown up and learned to bide his time since leaving Avalanche. The purgatory he went through when no one offered him another coaching job in the NHL may have led to some growth.
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The Islanders have some difficult decisions to make, considering Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin's contract situations, for example. Speaking about the difficult decision, Lamoriello said:
“There is no question that decisions have to be made every year. Yes, we are looking back at what has happened in recent years, two years in a row, so to speak. All the changes are going to be made. Okay, nothing is sacred, nothing will be done. But it will take two people to make these changes, and the changes will most likely be made. If there's a chance to make a change, I'm not going to make a change just for the sake of making a change.''
Hearing this, I immediately thought of the two players mentioned above. Along with Casey Cizikas, these two veterans have long formed a highly efficient fourth line, but now they're at a crossroads. Lamoriello, who says nothing is sacred, shows that the distant past is of little importance and that you only excel in your recent performance. Clutterbuck, now 36, played in every game this season, but he had health issues the previous two seasons. As for Martin, he is 34 years old and was limited to just 57 games this year.
Lamoriello was also asked specifically about the two veterans, and his answer was clear.
“What decisions we have to make are in the best interest of the team. To be successful, we have to take personal circumstances out of the equation. Certainly we value loyalty. But it cannot prevent progress. So any decision will be made.”
Perhaps not re-signing the two veterans will be the way for the Islanders to start getting younger and building the team the way Roy wants. He's already started using Cizikas on the more offensive line, including Bo Horvat and Mathieu Barzal. This may have been Roy preparing to let go of his two older forwards. Cizikas is currently 33 years old and still has three years left on his contract. His NHL today is a young man's game, fast and furious, and if you want to compete, you have to have enough players to thrive in that environment.
Lamoriello kept his cards close to his chest, declining to indicate specific areas he wanted to improve, but adding that at the same time he wanted to improve in all areas. In his mind, when he starts to be satisfied with something, he starts to become complacent.
What Roy had to say
As for the head coach, Roy saw his mid-season appointment as a learning opportunity, but it also came with challenges.
“[…] I can't say the game has changed all that much, but the game has evolved over the years, and the most difficult thing for me, who joined in the middle of the season, was the lack of practice. This means you can come in with whatever you like and in whatever configuration you like, but most of the practices are morning skates, so it's hard to come up with and make significant changes to the team. So, yeah, I learned a lot. ”
Asked about his new coach's performance, Lamoriello had words of praise for him, adding that Roy has exceeded all expectations. In other words, Lamoriello seems to have found someone he can completely trust. Watching the press conference, I got the feeling that Lamoriello was preparing for his departure and grooming Roy to be his successor, but that's a discussion for another day.
