Friedman: Don't expect NY Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello to "walk away anytime soon"

NY Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has undoubtedly done a lot for the Isles organization since his arrival in the 2018-19 season. His tenure began with hiring future Hall-of-Fame head coach Barry Trotz and then franchise forward John Tavares walking in free agency for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was followed by three consecutive seasons of overcoming expectations clinching the playoffs and adding key players along the way such as J.G. Pageau and Kyle Palmieri. Following all the success, the 2021-22 season did not go as planned after Lamoriello doubled down on his roster and the Islanders missed the playoffs. Until recently, Lamoriello's decisions as the Islanders played the majority of the 2022-23 season in a mediocre fashion. That was until he made a blockbuster trade to acquire Bo Horvat. The exact details of Lamoriello's deal with the Islanders are unknown, however, the belief is he is in the final year of his contract. According to Elliotte Friedman via The Jeff Marek Show on Sportsnet, he believes Lamoriello won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

“I don’t expect him to walk away anytime soon," Friedman explained to Matt Marchese filling in for usual host Marek. "He doesn’t even like talking about other people’s contract situation, what do you think the chances are he’ll talk about his contract situation? Now, I do think the contract was getting close to expiring, the current one, but I don’t know if there’s been an extension or anything like that, I just don’t know. Do you think he really wants to go anywhere? I don’t think he does. I don’t think that that’s something that he’s really interested in. I just think he’ll stay as long as he wants to stay.” 

During Lamoriello's tenure, there's certainly been some debate amongst the Islanders fan base as to whether or not the game has passed him by. However, the Horvat trade has certainly worked out in his favor if he's advocating for the fact that he can still handle general manager responsibilities.

"The other thing to is, the Horvat deal looks like it’s been a really good deal for them. It’s early, but it looks like it’s been a huge deal for them and they’re starting to go. I can’t imagine what it would take for him to say ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’"

Friedman is right, we likely won't get any clarity as to whether this is the last year of Lamoriello's contract unless there's an announcement he's resigned. Although, it does feel like his future hinges on whether or not the Islanders make the playoffs this year. As of late, they've positioned themselves well as they continue to pile on the points despite missing Pageau and Mathew Barzal to injury. However, there are plenty of teams on their tail with a number of games in hand. The Islanders' playoff hopes and Lamoriello's future certainly feels like it hinges on the next months-worth of hockey.