The Islanders can't afford to wait too long to hire a new GM
The Islanders during a game at UBS Arena. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Tuesday marks one week since the Islanders announced Lou Lamoriello’s contract would not be renewed, ending his seven-season tenure as president/general manager. Over that span, there have been few to no leaks regarding operating partner John Collins’ search process for a new boss, a good sign the organization will conduct a professional, private exploration — ironically sounding like one Lamoriello would endorse.
But will it be a speedy one? And should it be?
The Islanders, who missed the playoffs for the second time in four seasons, are at a tipping point regarding the organization’s direction the next few seasons. So they must get this hire — or hires if the two roles are split — correct.
Quite tellingly, when the organization parted ways with Lamoriello, it said his hockey operations staff remained in place pending interviews with the new GM and/or president (depending on whether the Islanders split those roles or again have one person for both). The NHL Draft is June 27-28 in Los Angeles so the personnel responsible for the Islanders’ decisions those days remain intact for now. That, too, is important.
But Monday’s news that the Penguins had parted ways with Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Sullivan — who will now have his choice of jobs (cough, cough, Rangers; cough, cough, Bruins) — also highlights that the Islanders cannot delay in their search. Attractive candidates will become available as the playoffs progress and then quickly come off the board.
The news on Sullivan also highlighted that the sooner the Islanders find their new GM, the better it is for the organization.
Let’s jump down the Sullivan rabbit hole for just a bit. Say the Islanders wanted to hire him — or another coach that comes on the market — to replace coach Patrick Roy. And, to be clear, the Islanders already have stated that Roy and his staff remain on the job pending their interviews with the new GM.
Collins certainly is knowledgeable enough about the NHL and management practice to make that call on a coach. But that would then limit his GM search to somebody who would feel comfortable working with Sullivan or whichever coach he hired.
Why constrain yourself by limiting the talent pool of candidates unnecessarily?
The Islanders’ best move here is to stick to their plan of finding the right GM or president/GM.
The Canadiens are down 3-1 in their first-round series to the Capitals with Game 5 in Washington on Wednesday. If the Islanders are interested in Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton — as is believed to be the case — they may soon get their chance to talk to him.
Ditto for Devils assistant GM Kate Madigan with the Devils trailing the Hurricanes 3-1 and Game 5 in Carolina on Tuesday night. The Islanders almost certainly will want to talk with Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche, whose team faces the Panthers in Game 4 of their first-round series on Monday night.
Some candidates, such as former Red Wings and Oilers GM Ken Holland, are already free to speak.
At some point, Collins may update the media on his search process. For now, no news is exactly that. The Islanders, with a list of potential targets already handy upon Lamoriello’s departure, most likely have begun speaking with candidates. But this is still very early in the process.
Yet that doesn’t mean the Islanders have the luxury of time. The NHL moves fast, both on the ice and off. The sooner the Islanders can identify their ideal candidate the better because there is a mountain of work to be done this offseason, including rebuilding their AHL program in Bridgeport.
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.
