Lamoriello, Trotz orchestrate Islanders’ superb 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 NHL since 200607 — while missing the playoffs for the eighth time in 11 years. There was uncertainty on offense when star center 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 oneyear turnaround that has the Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. New York gave up a leaguelow 191 goals, charged to the top of the Metropolitan Division and just swept the starladen 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.”

Lamoriello, 76, 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 postseason series win since 1993 — a far cry from the glory days of winning four championships in a row.

After losing Tavares, Lamoriello went about filling the roster with players with winning experience. Veterans like Leo Komarov, 32, and Valtteri Filppula, 35, were brought in to help the development of youngsters like Anthony Beauvilier. And 27yearold 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, defensefirst system, and the results speak for themselves.