NY Islanders: Lamoriello's simple message is that he and team must "get better"

If you thought there was a chance for a major news announcement to come from New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello's media session on Tuesday afternoon, you quickly found out that what you had been waiting for was what you mostly expected to hear all along. Lamoriello still has faith in his core group and simply believes it's a matter of parts of the organization to improve.

"The goal is to be where these two teams (Florida and Vegas) are, Lamoriello said to the media on Tuesday afternoon. "We have to get better. I have to get better. Our coaching staff has to get better. Our players have to get better."

Lamoriello's statement about the core group having to improve may be a signal of minimal changes coming to the roster following the trade for Bo Horvat he made last season with the Vancouver Canucks. A full season of Horvat playing with Barzal, along with a healthy Oliver Wahlstrom, who is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, could be what the GM is banking on being the difference between a team that struggled to qualify for the playoffs to one that can be a 100-point team in a talented Metropolitan Division.

Lamoriello also indicated that he has communicated to Zach Parise that they want him back next season. He also wants Scott Mayfield to return too. As for Josh Bailey's status, he spoke delicately about the longest tenured Islander, stating that loyalty to a player would not impede the organization of progress.

The fans and media have been clamoring for this press conference for weeks, as it's customary for the GM and head coach to address the media and fans following the end of the season.

As time went by, it led some to believe that the longer things remained silent, the more likely an evaluation of Lamoriello or Lane Lambert was happening and that a big change could be coming. That wasn't the case, as Lamoriello confirmed that both he and Lambert remain under contract. He wouldn't confirm if that would be the case for all of his coaches.

We've now heard from Lamoriello and learned that our hunch that nothing was being said because there was nothing more to say was right all along.