The New York Islanders announced on Tuesday that president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello’s contract will not be renewed, and his seven-year reign running the team has come to an end.
Operating partner John Collins will lead the search to find the team’s next general manager.
The 82-year-old Hall-of-Fame executive helped build one of the Islanders’ most successful periods since their dynastic run of four-straight Stanley Cup titles from 1980 to 1983.
Taking over ahead of the 2018-19 campaign following a 24-year stint with the New Jersey Devils, which featured three Stanley Cups, and a three-year stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He immediately hired Barry Trotz — coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Washington Capitals — as head coach to help institute a defensive brand of hockey that became the franchise’s calling card.
The Islanders won just their second playoff series since 1993 in their first season together by sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins. New York made the Stanley Cup semifinals in each of the next two years, falling just one game short of the Final in 2021.
However, the highly anticipated move to UBS Arena did not generate the same success. After the Islanders missed the playoffs in 2022, Trotz was fired, and his long-time assistant, Lane Lambert, took over. He lasted just one-plus seasons before Lamoriello brought in current head coach Patrick Roy. The first four seasons in the new arena have provided just two first-round playoff exits.
Lamoriello’s moves—or lack thereof—were scrutinized extensively. He kept 14 players from the last semifinal run in 2021 on the roster despite the lack of recent results. Those he did trade have found greener pastures elsewhere, most notably defenseman Devon Toews, who has a Stanley Cup ring with the Colorado Avalanche.
The contracts that he did sign have also failed to pan out, most notably Anthony Duclair’s four-year deal that was signed last summer, along with Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield’s seven-year contracts.
While the 2024-25 squad was slammed with injuries, including the long-term absences of star playmaker Mathew Barzal, Duclair, and veteran backup goalie Semyon Varlamov, their 35-35-12 finish was their worst since 2017-18, which was the last season before Lamoriello arrived.
