NHL

The biggest Islanders questions Lou Lamoriello couldn’t answer

Lou Lamoriello is now behind the wheel for the Islanders, which means things are going to work his way.

So as the Hall of Famer officially took over as president of hockey operations on Tuesday, he was not allowing himself to be rushed into a decision on the fate of current embattled general manager Garth Snow or second-year head coach Doug Weight. Also, as per his long-standing policy, Lamoriello had absolutely no comment on the negotiation with pending free agent captain John Tavares, and would not confirm or deny the two have actually met for a discussion (which they almost certainly have).

All of which does not mean that Lamoriello will not pull the trigger on any bold move once he gets settled in and knows what he needs to do.

“Right now, I have no preconceived notions,” Lamoriello said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday afternoon. “As I’ve done in the past in a situation like this, I take a step back and see exactly what the people who you have in place have to offer, what their thoughts are, what their vision is, and then make decisions as I go along.”

The biggest question for Lamoriello would be the fate of Snow, whose tumultuous 12-year run as GM has resulted in four postseason appearances and one series victory. The two are known to be friendly, and Snow hired Lamoriello’s son, Chris, to be an assistant GM in August 2016.

But as stated in the team’s release, all the power now resides with Lamoriello, who “will have full authority over all hockey matters with the organization.” It is easy to think that Lamoriello is grooming his son to eventually take over, but again, no decisions had been made just yet.

“I don’t know enough about the ins and outs,” Lamoriello said when asked where he thought he needed to start improving. “That’s going to take time. Once I find out more information, then I’d be better able to answer your question.”

This process all came about in the past month, when Islanders managing partner Scott Malkin called up his counterpart in Toronto, Larry Tanenbaum, and asked permission to speak to Lamoriello. This was set to be Lamoriello’s third and final year as the Maple Leafs GM before segueing into a senior adviser role that clearly was not meant for Lamoriello’s competitiveness.

After the Leafs were bounced in the first round, Lamoriello took some time before arranging to meet with Malkin and discuss the opportunity.

“I was impressed with the conversation I had with Scott Malkin and the vision and his commitment and his support to the Islanders,” Lamoriello said. “I also look at it as a challenge to bring the Islanders back to where they were.”

Malkin added in a statement, “We are committed to giving Lou every resource and the full support of the entire organization as we pursue our program to compete at the highest level.”

As for Tavares, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, get married in August, and then turn 28 years old in September, Lamoriello holds him in high regard no matter the contract status.

“He’s one of the elite players. A gentleman, both on and off the ice,” Lamoriello said. “He’s just a quality individual as well as a quality player.”

The relationship between Lamoriello and the Islanders goes back to his time as hockey coach and athletic director for Providence College, when he struck up a friendship with then-Islanders GM Bill Torrey as his team was en route to winning four straight Stanley Cups to open the 1980s. The two remained friends even as Lamoriello took over the Devils in 1987 and eventually led them to three Stanley Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

Torrey died earlier this month at the age of 83, but the 75-year-old Lamoriello said he physically feels good and is ready for what will prove to be an arduous task. And it starts soon, with the Islanders holding two picks in each of the first two rounds of the draft beginning on June 22 in Dallas.

“You have to use whatever time is there to do whatever you feel is the right decision,” Lamoriello said. “There’s no time frame for anything. But when there is time, you use it. When there isn’t, you make a decision.”