Lamoriello, Trotz deliver Islanders’ big turnaround
NEW YORK — Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz say they didn’t know exactly what to expect from the New York Islanders this season.
There were plenty of questions after the Islanders gave up 293 goals — the most in the National Hockey League since 2006-07 — while missing the playoffs for the eighth time in 11 years. There was uncertainty on offence when star centre John Tavares left in free agency for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
“There were a lot of unknowns. We had no preconceived notions,” Lamoriello said.
“Whatever expectations there were, there were really none, one way or another.”
The answers have come in the form of a stunning one-year turnaround that has the Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. New York gave up a league-low 191 goals, charged to the top of the Metropolitan Division and just swept the star-laden Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
Knowing some had picked them to miss the playoff again, players just shrug it off.
“That’s kind of been a little bit of the story line here and we’re used to it,” said Anders Lee, who succeeded Tavares as team captain. “That’s just the way it’s been, not just this year, it’s kind of always been that way. This year we’ve really taken it on and run with it.”
Both Lamoriello and Trotz say they knew they were going to give up fewer goals with a better defensive approach.
“We wanted to play a certain way,” Trotz said. “We knew we could fix the goals against, that’s commitment and that’s work ethic, detail and structure.”
The 76-year-old Lamoriello, whose long career includes building the New Jersey Devils into an NHL power a generation ago, vowed to bring a culture change to the Islanders when he took over as the president of hockey operations last May. A few weeks later, he fired general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight.
Trotz was hired as coach in June, days after he led Washington to its first Stanley Cup championship and then abruptly resigned in a contract dispute. The hiring was celebrated by the Islanders’ rabid fan base, which has seen just one post-season series win since 1993 — a far cry from the glory days of winning four championships in a row in the early ’80s.
After losing Tavares, Lamoriello went about filling the roster with players with winning experience. Veterans such as
Leo Komarov, 32, and Valtteri Filppula, 35, were brought in to help the development of youngsters such as Anthony Beauvilier. And 27-year-old Tom Kuhnhackl, who won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, was also a solid addition.
“We were looking for good people, the people who have won,” Trotz said. “That’s so important for our growth as an organization and a group coming in. We looked for character people and Lou did a great job.”
The Islanders have embraced Trotz’s swarming, defence-first system.
Abig question in the off-season centred on goaltending after Robin Lehner was signed to pair with Thomas Greiss. Lehner was with Buffalo the previous season and left a game because of a panic attack and was subsequently treated for alcohol and drug addiction and also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD and PTSD. He talked openly about his personal life when he joined the Islanders, and credited the organization and his new teammates with giving him support.