Yes. Contending teams are just lining up to be fleeced by the NY Islanders.
- PeteM

They are also looking for bad players signed to long term deals apparently.

This is dumb even beyond this stupid sites standards.

https://eyesonisles.com/3...rs-can-fleece-this-summer
- Cptmjl

I have to agree with you on this one. What is scary is someone looked at this and thought it sounded good. That guy makes Eklund sound like an award winning journalist.

I have to agree with you on this one. What is scary is someone looked at this and thought it sounded good. That guy makes Eklund sound like an award winning journalist.
- Nfdbulldawg

I am sorry.

Wow, I feel dumber having read that. I want some of whatever drug he's taking.
- JimmyP

I am sorry.
- Cptmjl

It hurt a little bit, but I will be okay.

Matt Martin has been extended, 8 years at the league minimum
- Gabe Athaus

Needed the term or he wouldn't sign!

Please no Jarmo……just hire Bergeron as President and Darche as GM and let’s move on. I always liked the trade Bergeron made sending Nashville PK Subban for Shea Weber and he drafted Suzuki. They let Roy pick his assistants and call it a day.
- kindlyrick

Agree 100%.
I think this is what we will get unless Bergy takes/get the LA job.

If we use Eklunds rating system, this is an E4. Huge if true.

https://www.hockeyfeed.co...nterviewing-with-nhl-team

If we use Eklunds rating system, this is an E4. Huge if true.

https://www.hockeyfeed.co...nterviewing-with-nhl-team

- Nfdbulldawg

He'd probably get Buffalo back into the playoffs next season or the one after. Seems to be clear now that he's a good pickup for a team in a spot like that, or like we were in 2018, to legitimize them but he has a relatively short shelf life.

If we use Eklunds rating system, this is an E4. Huge if true.

https://www.hockeyfeed.co...nterviewing-with-nhl-team

- Nfdbulldawg

Certainly appears to be true. Although I thought it was printed that both Lou and Ken Holland said no to Buffalo?

Certainly appears to be true. Although I thought it was printed that both Lou and Ken Holland said no to Buffalo?
- kindlyrick

I don't think that anything printed about Lou can be taken too literally

I don't think that anything printed about Lou can be taken too literally
- Gabe Athaus

Lately anything printed about the Isles in general can't be taken to seriously.

Mike Harrington
@ByMHarrington
1m
We need to stop with this. LouLam in fact has already turned down the #Sabres inquiry of interest. He WAS at the airport — en route to his NEXUS renewal interview.

Sabres beat writer

Mike Harrington
@ByMHarrington
1m
We need to stop with this. LouLam in fact has already turned down the #Sabres inquiry of interest. He WAS at the airport — en route to his NEXUS renewal interview.

Sabres beat writer
- Gabe Athaus

What a distraction the Lou thing has become. The isles got the first overall pick and that should be the headlines. Instead it’s articles about whether the not renewed GM/president might be renewed after all. Such a bad look.

What a distraction the Lou thing has become. The isles got the first overall pick and that should be the headlines. Instead it’s articles about whether the not renewed GM/president might be renewed after all. Such a bad look.
- kindlyrick

I would imagine that after they interview Bergevin/Kekalainen/Darche this week that they move pretty quickly to make whatever hire(s) they will and get the new guy(s) in and working. That will settle a lot of the Lou talk. If ownership wants to keep him on as an adviser to them that's one thing, but he shouldn't have his hands anywhere near the front office nor should he really be in contact with whoever gets installed there.

I would imagine that after they interview Bergevin/Kekalainen/Darche this week that they move pretty quickly to make whatever hire(s) they will and get the new guy(s) in and working. That will settle a lot of the Lou talk. If ownership wants to keep him on as an adviser to them that's one thing, but he shouldn't have his hands anywhere near the front office nor should he really be in contact with whoever gets installed there.
- Gabe Athaus

Why does Malkin need a senior advisor when minority owner John Collins was the former COO of the NHL? Doesn’t make sense to me 🤷‍♂️

Why does Malkin need a senior advisor when minority owner John Collins was the former COO of the NHL? Doesn’t make sense to me 🤷‍♂️
- kindlyrick

Possible they value Lou's input, I don't really know. Lou has always been listed as "President & General Manager, Alternate Governor" on the Islanders website so he is clearly held in pretty high regard by ownership.

Collins was on the business side of things with the NHL and has worked with the NFL also, so he's not exactly a hockey mind. Lou could be their bridge between the front office and ownership as well as be the team's rep (as alternate governor) for any league meetings/issues/etc...

Not what I would personally do, but I get it from their standpoint.

Arthur Staple

We’re back again for the 4.0 version of the New York Islanders executive search, with some more clarity on Lou Lamoriello’s future with the team, Ken Holland’s decision to take the Kings job over this one and whether this search is wrapping up in the near future.

As sourced with multiple people around the league, here’s what I’m hearing as of Wednesday:

• Holland will be introduced as the new Los Angeles Kings general manager on Thursday. There were plenty of reasons he didn’t say yes to the Islanders when offered their president of hockey operations (and possibly general manager) job, but when you cut right to it, Holland was offered two positions. He said no to one despite an offer of full autonomy over hockey decisions, the potential to bring in a GM if he so desired and a team that just won the draft lottery.

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He said yes to the team with a president already in place above him. That should be a signal to Islanders watchers that this is a big undertaking to evaluate all aspects of Islanders hockey ops and the understanding that this may not be a quick turnaround back to being a contender. Whatever you think of Holland’s track record, especially the end of his two decades with the Detroit Red Wings, he knew what needed to be done here. And he chose another job.

• I can’t say that Canadiens VP of hockey ops Jeff Gorton is a candidate, since the Canadiens wouldn’t grant the Islanders permission to speak to him — and that doesn’t even factor in whether Gorton would be interested in the Isles job — but I can say the Isles’ interest has been keen. Gorton is one of a small handful of former GMs who fit the bill that Islanders owners Scott Malkin, John Collins and Jon Ledecky want: an experienced hand who has run teams, had success and gets what the Islanders need to do.

Perhaps things change in the next few days and Gorton is allowed to and willing to meet with the Islanders. But that doesn’t appear likely.

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
Staple: Islanders have no GM but plenty of excitement after NHL Draft Lottery win
Staple: Islanders have no GM but plenty of excitement after NHL Draft Lottery win
With the next phase of the franchise already in motion, getting the No. 1 pick shifts a lot of eyes around the NHL to the Islanders.
• I had discounted Leafs president Brendan Shanahan in my update earlier this week but have since been told not to be so fast to dismiss him. Shanahan’s contract expires June 30 and the Leafs are trying to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2002. If they get past the Panthers, that might make a Shanahan return in Toronto more likely. But if not and the MLSE board is willing to move on, there could be interest from the Islanders. Collins and Shanahan worked together at the NHL for years.

Shanahan is probably not a dual-role option for the Islanders, so ownership would have to make the call on whether it’s worth shelling out for Shanahan plus a GM — current Leafs special assistant Shane Doan, maybe? — and also whether the Leafs’ timeline for making a call on Shanahan works with the Isles’ timeline, already 23 days into their search.

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A long shot, but not off the table.

• Now, to the candidates who have interviewed this week: former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and Tampa Bay Lightning AGM Mathieu Darche.

All three have pluses and minuses, but I’ve heard they are legitimate candidates. Darche might be the only current AGM with a real shot at this; a league source said his role with Tampa Bay goes beyond what a typical AGM does and touches on all aspects of the Lightning front office. Most AGMs fall into the scouting bucket, the salary cap/budget bucket or the AHL/development bucket. Darche has his hands in everything under Julien BriseBois, so that makes him a much more viable Islanders candidate than some other up-and-comers around the league.

Again, the Islanders need someone who knows what it takes to run a team and build out a front office. There may have been talk early that Malkin, Collins and Ledecky would leave no stone unturned in this search and go outside the box to find candidates, but the fact is they’ve only seriously considered five people so far in almost a month.

It would also appear that any of the three who interviewed this week would come in as GM only, with a president not yet determined. Even if, say, Collins stayed on as team president for a bit, the new hire would report to Malkin alone.

• Now, the Lou question. I’ve heard conflicting things on Lamoriello’s future, and here’s what I can say now: The perception from the outside is that Lamoriello will still be around the Islanders after his contract expires on June 30. The perception inside the organization is that Lamoriello will have no role in hockey operations going forward with a new front office, even if he’s got a title or Malkin’s ear.

As TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday, Lamoriello has talked to the Sabres about a possible role there, but nothing is imminent. Lamoriello might also be a candidate for Holland’s gig as an adviser to Colin Campbell and NHL hockey operations. Maybe a team like the Hawks comes calling about an advisory spot. Lamoriello, an Isles source said, is free to pursue any and all of these options.


Lou Lamoriello has options, including staying with the Islanders in some capacity. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
• When will we find out who gets this job? When it was on the table for Holland two weeks ago, it seemed like a fast-track timeline. He said no, Gorton wasn’t available and ownership reset with their three interviews this week.

It seems as though this is headed to a conclusion in the next week or so. The new GM has to hit the ground running: Make a call on Patrick Roy, possibly bring in new front-office hires and decide on Chris Lamoriello and the Bridgeport operation, then prepare for the NHL scouting combine June 1-7 with a group of unfamiliar scouts.

There is respect for lou by the islanders ownership for his resume in the NHL and for what he did for the franchise. That said the ownership group made the decision to not resign Lou and move in a new direction. With this in mind,Lou is NOT calling the shots on who will be hired but I'm sure ownership is using Lou as an advocate for the organization to the candidates for the GM and or President of Hockey Ops positions.
He is well respected and having him vouch for the Organization and its ownership group can only help in the process.

There is respect for lou by the islanders ownership for his resume in the NHL and for what he did for the franchise. That said the ownership group made the decision to not resign Lou and move in a new direction. With this in mind,Lou is NOT calling the shots on who will be hired but I'm sure ownership is using Lou as an advocate for the organization to the candidates for the GM and or President of Hockey Ops positions.
He is well respected and having him vouch for the Organization and its ownership group can only help in the process.
- nyisles7

I honestly don’t believe this has anything to do with respect for Lou or his HOF career. When they released publicly that he wouldn’t be renewed they never mentioned, “but” he will stay on as advisor to ownership. I think the undertaking of the president and GM job is massive. They need to re do everything and they don’t have anyone, or at least the first choice or choices turned them down. I think that’s the Lou linger…..it’s from having no one else around entering a draft with the first overall.

Man, there still hasn’t been one blog, one sentence since the trading deadline. 😂😂 Got dayum

I honestly don’t believe this has anything to do with respect for Lou or his HOF career. When they released publicaly that he wouldn’t be renewed they never mentioned, “but” he will stay on as advisor to ownership. I think the undertaking of the president and GM job is massive. They need to re do everything and they don’t have anyone, or at least the first choice or choices turned them down. I think that’s the Lou linger…..it’s from having no one else around entering a draft with the first overall.
- kindlyrick

I hate to keep beating this drum, but no one's saying that even now. It's simply something Staple put out there one day...kind of recklessly, imo...with the sourcing on it now reduced to "the perception from outside," whatever that even means.

When he finally included sources from the actual team, they've denied it.

OK, I lied, it's sort of enjoyable to keep beating that drum the more Staple's "bombshell" falls apart...

I hate to keep beating this drum, but no one's saying that even now. It's simply something Staple put out there one day...kind of recklessly, imo...with the sourcing on it now reduced to "the perception from outside," whatever that even means.

When he finally included sources from the actual team, they've denied it.
- UIF

Did they deny Lou potentially being an advisor to Malkin?

Did they deny Lou potentially being an advisor to Malkin?
- kindlyrick

Have they confirmed it? They've said he's free to pursue any job he wants with any other club. That doesn't sound to me like they're desperate to keep him around as an advisor. Staple keeps tucking in the ambiguous possibility of Lou sticking around in some capacity at the end of his reports. I don't think it's the team saying that.