Lamoriello has Islanders in his hands with firings of GM, coach

Lou Lamoriello said he needed to take a step back to assess things when he was named president of hockey operations for the New York Islanders on May 22.

"You have to use whatever time is there to do whatever you feel is the right decision," Lamoriello said then. "There's no time frame for anything. But when there is time, you use it. When there isn't, you make a decision."
Two weeks later, Lamoriello, hired after three seasons as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, sent shockwaves through the Islanders organization Tuesday when he fired general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight, moves that proved without a shadow of a doubt this has officially become his show.
RELATED: [Islanders fire Snow as general manager, Weight as coach]
Lamoriello, who won the Stanley Cup three times as GM of the New Jersey Devils (1995, 2000, 2003), replaces Snow after New York missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth time in 12 seasons under him.
It's now on Lamoriello to convince the Islanders' franchise player, center John Tavares, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, to stay in New York for another eight seasons. It's also on Lamoriello to hire the next coach, to find a No. 1 goaltender and to decide whether to keep one, both or neither of the Islanders' first-round picks in the 2018 NHL Draft (No. 11 and 12).
These are monumental tasks for Lamoriello. But the 75-year-old said during a conference call Tuesday he's up to the challenge and reiterated his statement from when he was hired.
"If I felt like I was rushing, I wouldn't do it," Lamoriello said. "I'm a believer that when time's on your side that you use it. But when you know what you feel what the right decision is, you make it."
It is indeed a new day for New York, which has won one playoff series in 25 years, a six-game victory against the Florida Panthers in 2016. That lack of success could be a reason Tavares, the Islanders captain, has yet to re-sign, though Lamoriello said the moves Tuesday had nothing to do with it.
Lamoriello has been in daily contact with Tavares' agent, Pat Brisson, The Athletic reported.
"That certainly has not and did not enter into any of the decisions that are made," Lamoriello said.
There's no reason not to believe Lamoriello, who obviously thinks a facelift is desperately needed after the Islanders missed the playoffs for a second straight season.
"First of all, both Garth, who is a personal friend and who I've known for a long time, and also Dougie, who played for me in '96 and '98 and I have tremendous respect for," Lamoriello said. "We've had meetings and conversations certainly throughout the past two weeks since I've been here.
"It is my opinion at this point that there is a culture change that's needed and there's new voices needed in different areas and because of that the change is made."

So the question becomes, who helps Lamoriello change the culture? Does he bring in Mark Hunter, one of his assistant GMs with the Maple Leafs? Does he revamp the scouting staff? Anything appears possible after what happened Tuesday.
Then there is the coaching search. Does Lamoriello hire a big name after he looks back and notices Ted Nolan (fired after two seasons by Snow in 2008) was the only coach with prior NHL experience the Islanders have had since Lorne Henning in 2001?
That would likely be welcomed by the fan base after the Islanders went 35-37-10 this season and allowed a League-high 293 goals. With names like Alain Vigneault, Dan Bylsma and Dave Tippett available, Lamoriello could be busy interviewing quality candidates over the next 2-3 weeks.
"We're going to get the best coach available," Lamoriello said. "I think that we've been in the League long enough to know different coaches, and as I said, different coaches are for different teams. But right now, if we had the coach, he'd be here. Whether I know him or not is not going to enter into the decision."
Whenever the decision is made, it will be another step in Lamoriello's plan to bring a team that once won 19 playoff series in a row back to prominence. Co-owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky have made it clear it's in his hands to turn the organization around.
"Culture is a very overused word and underdeveloped," Lamoriello said. "It's just doing little things a certain way, a different way, a consistent way, so I really couldn't define that. It's only going to be time before we see exactly how it works out."