Lamoriello moving on to Islanders
Lou Lamoriello did not lay low for long, surfacing with the New York Islanders. Now, will new Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas replace him? And will Mark Hunter leave the Maple Leafs as well?
Moved out as GM on May 11, replaced by the much younger Dubas and given a senior adviser’s title, the 75-year-old Lamoriello will be taking a major hockey operations role with the Isles. That’s where son Chris is director of player personnel and a logical landing spot near Lamoriello’s New Jersey roots as the Devils’ longtime president.
It’s an Isles club in dire need of a management makeover, as the Leafs were in the summer of 2015 when president Brendan Shanahan first hired Lamoriello as GM.
Lamoriello’s move to Long Island has been speculated for days, but first confirmed Monday through sources of longtime Islanders beat columnist Arthur Staple.
Whether he is named president, GM, director of hockey ops or something else, it means GM Garth Snow has lost some clout after nearly 12 years on the job, with some controversial trades and only four playoff appearances. Snow, who arrived back from the world championships in Denmark on Monday with his staff, reportedly has a few years to go on his contract and there’s a hefty buyout clause.
There are also legs to a separate story from a French language online site claiming Lamoriello has already been in touch with franchise player John Tavares about re-signing in New York before the unrestricted free agent hits the open market July 1. The hometown Leafs would be a possible destination if Tavares can’t be talked into staying. The Isles also have plans for a new arena, closer to their original home in Nassau County, an incentive project for both Lamoriello and Tavares.
As for Dubas, he might now bring in someone else to his hockey department. The day of his hiring Dubas said adding more staff would depend on “what happens with everybody here.”
The other potential loss could be Hunter, who held the same assistant GM title as Dubas, with duties in player personnel. He was reportedly not happy at losing the Shanahan selection sweepstakes. The 55-year-old Hunter hasn’t commented on his future in public to date, though it’s unlikely he’d take any new role elsewhere until seeing a year of scouting through at next week’s NHL scouting combine and the draft in Dallas, June 22-23.
Lamoriello, who has many family and business ties to the United States, was not expected to make Canada his home if he could not remain a significant voice in the Leafs’ hierarchy. Shanahan said his original deal was three years as GM and then a transition to adviser. Though the current bal- ance of power in the Leafs office could have been maintained with Lamoriello keeping his post — Toronto reached a franchise record 105 points this season — Shanahan handed the reins to Dubas.
With the end of NHL compensation for hiring away another team’s executives and coaches in 2016, the Leafs already fended off the Colorado Avalanche from poaching Dubas last year.
In related news, Paul Fenton was hired Monday as GM of the Minnesota Wild, replacing Chuck Fletcher. Dubas might have trouble hanging on to farm team coach Sheldon Keefe as the Marlies get closer to the Calder Cup.