3 crucial mistakes NY Islanders' new general manager must avoid at all costs

The NY Islanders are in the midst of one of the most memorable offseasons in recent memory. After formally moving on from former GM Lou Lamoriello, the Isles landed the number-one overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

As such, the pressure of making the right call with the top pick compounds the pressure of finding the right person for the GM vacancy.

That situation means that the NY Islanders' new GM must, above all, avoid three crucial mistakes that could derail this singular opportunity to transform the team into a contender in the years to come.

3 crucial mistakes NY Islanders' new GM must avoid

Succumb to the hype surrounding the top pick

Some teams after fortunate to land the top pick in a year where there’s a no-brainer top prospect. For instance, the Edmonton Oilers had Connor McDavid in 2015 or the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t blink with Auston Matthews in 2016.

Back in 2009, when the Islanders last picked first overall, John Tavares was the consensus top pick. As such, the Isles didn’t have much to think about.

This time around, however, there isn’t a hands-down top prospect on the board. Therefore, the Islanders must be careful not to succumb to the pressure of taking what some experts believe to be the best player available.

In my estimation, the Isles would do well to pick Matthew Schaefer. However, the Isles must do their due diligence and take the best player available based on the team's needs. If that means taking someone else other than Schaefer, then so be it.

The worst thing the Islanders can do is fall prey to hype and waste the top-overall pick on a player that doesn’t gel with the team’s core ethos.

Miss on a huge free-agent signing or blockbuster trade

All right, so new GMs always have the temptation to make a huge splash upon taking over to put their signature on the team. Unfortunately, such an attitude could lead to bonehead decisions.

Such decisions could mean overpaying the offseason’s top free agent or making a huge trade to signal that change is coming. While fans expect more initiative from the Isles’ new GM, certainly compared to Lamoriello, the team’s new GM should make moves for the sake of making them.

Instead, moves, whichever they may be, should be focused on making the team better within the reasonable constraints of the salary cap and the club’s prospect pool.

Sure, it would be nice to see the Islanders pursue free agents like Mitch Marner or Brock Boeser. But if that means mortgaging the team’s future, it would behoove the Isles’ next GM to take a deep breath and think things over before pulling the trigger on a deal.

Recycling a veteran coach

There are situations in which new GMs want to play things safe. That approach means hiring and firing coaches based on the “safe bet.”

Since the NY Islanders are unclear about bringing Patrick Roy back, the Isles must be certain that whoever they hire for next season, whether it’s Roy or anyone else, is the right fit for the organization’s vision.

As such, the Isles must avoid recycling a familiar face like John Tortorella or bring back someone like Peter Laviolette just because they’re a safe, household name. By the same token, I’m not advocating for the Isles to gamble on an unproven coach.

The point here is for the Isles’ next GM to make a solid choice based on the right fit and not try to play things safe by recycling a coach that’s already been worse for wear.