Advising For and Against

A potential future role for Lamoriello remains a storyline

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

Monday brought yet another round of headlines that had less to do with the Islanders’ next GM and more to do with the last one. Yes, once again, the focus was on Lou Lamoriello. And honestly, no matter how this shakes out, the fact that we’re still talking about Lou, in any capacity, is kind of wild.

Let’s rewind for a second. Back on April 22, the Islanders put out a carefully crafted statement announcing that Lou’s contract would not be renewed. Notably, it didn’t say Lamoriello was leaving the organization entirely, but the language strongly suggested that his time actively running the show was over.

Now, the water’s getting even murkier. Last week, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple reported that Lou might stay on as an advisor to the new GM. That already raised eyebrows. But as of Monday, that reporting shifted: an Islanders source clarified that there was “no plan” for Lou to advise the GM directly, but he could be kept on as an advisor, presumably to ownership.

So instead of being “The Godfather,” as he’s been for the past seven seasons, Lou might become the consigliere—figuratively whispering in the ear of majority owner Scott Malkin. Remember, some believe it was the minority owners who had to convince Malkin to even part with Lamoriello in the first place.

Let’s be real: we don’t know what kind of power that role would hold. But consider this—what’s more influential? Being an advisor to the GM, or being the one advising the guy who owns the team and makes the final decision?

With no public clarity on Lamoriello’s actual influence, it’s fair to wonder how this might affect the ongoing GM search. Candidates might be understandably cautious about entering a job where the former GM, a Hall of Famer no less, still has a direct line to ownership - and I think that’s fair if they do.

As for the search itself, the names being interviewed—Marc Bergevin, Jarmo Kekalainen, and Mathieu Darche—have been on the radar since the start. Ken Holland wanted to be back in the game, but preferred the Kings’ job over the Islanders. So yes, there’s a real chance this ends just fine, with a solid GM choice announced in the coming weeks. But the fact that we’re still talking more about Lamoriello than the future of this franchise? That was avoidable.

If keeping Lou in the loop was always the plan, ownership should’ve just said so from the start. If it wasn’t, and this is just a compromise or a delay in fully turning the page, it’s only making the path forward more complicated—and frankly, more confusing—than it needs to be.