The New York Islanders’ season ended on April 28 at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. It was an unfortunate defeat for a team looking to recapture the magic of two deep playoff runs in 2020 and 2021, and the team was at a crossroads for the offseason. Most of the team is getting older and the Islanders will have only $7 million in cap space to work with.
In the days following, fans heard from the players on locker cleanup day and learned that Hudson Fasching was sticking around for two more years. However, Islanders’ general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Lane Lambert have said hardly anything since the end of the season. The only statement Lamoriello made was on the Islanders earning their 2024 Stadium Series nod, leading to concern as to what the next steps are.
On one hand, silence under a Lamoriello-led organization is nothing new. Whenever the offseason rolls around, the rumors coming out of Long Island are virtually non-existent. In fact, most of the moves they made in recent memory came virtually out of nowhere. Trades for Alexander Romanov, Bo Horvat, and Pierre Engvall came with virtually no reports from NHL insiders, and internal contract signings come with little notice as well.
This trend also occurred in previous years as well, as contracts for Matt Martin and Zach Parise went virtually unannounced in 2021. So, in some ways, silence may not mean anything, as offseason planning and other negotiations for pending free agents may be in the works. However, after a somewhat middling season for the Islanders, this silence is also frustrating.
With the Islanders’ current situation, transparency means everything. The team is getting older and, as previously noted, doesn’t have too much cap space to work with. Even with the Islanders making the postseasons, the team had concerns. A few players regressed from previous years, particularly on defense, and there is a need for roster turnover in a few positions.
Additionally, Lamoriello is 82 and has won his championships in a non-salary cap era. With this in mind, he is not the same GM he used to be, and the Islanders might need a new voice. The fans a right to know what the vision is for the franchise, but Lamoriello and co-owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin have refused to address it.
While it is entirely possible the team is contemplating its options for how to tackle the offseason, being radio silent for this long doesn’t send the best message. A handful of reports have suggested both Lou Lamoriello and Lambert will return, but to get that closure from the top means more than just merely speculation.
As a result, while it is entirely possible the Islanders are considering their options, the silence is more deafening than golden. Lou Lamoriello hockey teams tend to operate in this style, but to be this quiet before a pivotal offseason is concerning for both Islanders fans and the rest of the league.
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