"Being nominated as a finalist again doesn't surprise me because I work with Lou," Trotz said. "He's so detail oriented, so connected between the process of coaching to management… Obviously he understands that in terms of building and creating personnel decisions for coaches and then the connection to the other part of the game, the fan part, the marketing, dealing with the business part. He has really good understanding of how they work together, but they don't necessarily overlap in certain areas and that's what I think he is able to separate so well. Congratulations to him for being nominated, same for the three nominees, but I understand why he's nominated, he's obviously a Hall of Fame General Manager and a lot of it is because of his detail."
Lamoriello has helped turn the Islanders into a contender in his three years with the team. It started with hiring Trotz and addressing the defensive issues that plagued the team, going from allowing the most goals in 2017-18, to the fewest the following year. Under Lamoriello's guidance, the team has advanced to the third round in back-to-back years, something not done since the early 1980s.
"The respect level that you have for him from his track record and what he's done in this league," Jordan Eberle said. "The presence that he has as far as commitment. You've probably heard him say do the right thing all the time, that stuff trickles down into the coaching staff and the players. I think it's about being a good teammate, doing what it takes for your teammates and when you have a belief system like that throughout your team that starts from him. There's a reason why we've had success under him and credit goes to him and you try to learn as much as you can."
