Isles option as Lamoriello out as Toronto GM
It’s unlikely to happen soon, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen at all.
The possibility of Lou Lamoriello leaving Toronto to save the Islanders is now even more relevant after the Maple Leafs announced Monday that the Hall of Fame executive would not return for a fourth season as general manager. Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan made it clear that this was the plan all along, with Lamoriello’s contract segueing into four years as an adviser.
“Three years ago, Lou and I agreed on a contract that would see him serve as general manager of the Maple Leafs for three years and then transition to senior adviser for the following four years,” Shanahan said in a statement. “This morning I informed Lou that I was not going to deviate from that course of action. I will now focus all of my attention towards making a decision regarding our next general manager.”
On Wednesday the Leafs lost in Game 7 to the Bruins, their second straight first-round exit. The Islanders, meanwhile, missed the playoffs for the second straight year and are still operating with Garth Snow at the helm of the front office.
At the end of the regular season, with the decision of John Tavares’ possible free agency casting a long shadow over the whole organization, co-owner Jon Ledecky said he was “evaluating all aspects of our hockey operations.” But it sure seemed like Snow and second-year coach Doug Weight were secure in their jobs — at least for now.
Likely the biggest lure for Lamoriello to come to the rescue is that his son, Chris, has worked as Snow’s assistant GM since August 2016. Chris represented the franchise at the draft lottery Saturday in — of all places — Toronto.
It’s assumed that there would be some kind of out-clause — either currently in the contract or one that could be negotiated — if Lamoriello had another opportunity to be a GM. But that would mean Lamoriello and the Islanders show mutual interest, and that’s a long way off — for now.
“First of all, my responsibility is right here with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Lamoriello said on a conference call. “I made an agreement and a decision three years ago and it’s my intent to honor that.”