Report: NY Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello to address the media on Friday

Last season, the New York Islanders lost a first-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes. Two days later, it was "clean out" day, and all their players, from those with uncertain futures (Josh Bailey) to those who were settling on Long Island (Bo Horvat), met with the media to reflect on the season that had just ended and what was next for themselves and the team.

That happened on May 1st. One person who did not speak was GM Lou Lamoriello. The longer he remained silent, the longer his contract status remained a mystery, and the longer fans wondered if ownership was mulling making a change. It turned out that Lamoriello wasn't going anywhere, and neither was head coach Lane Lambert or any of his assistant coaches. The HOF hockey executive provided a Lamoriello-esque update on Jun. 6th and went about his business.

For whatever reason, this year, we won't have to wait.

According to Newsday beat writer Andrew Gross, Lamoriello and head coach Patrick Roy are expected to speak with the media on Friday after meeting with the players. The early media availability would be a strong indication that the 81-year-old will be back next season, which would be his seventh with the franchise.

This happens while editorials that Lamoriello surely doesn't read are coming out calling for there to be a change after the team's third consecutive season without advancing past the first round of the playoffs after their deep playoff runs in 2020 and 2021.

The media will do their job and ask the questions that need to be asked. They'll want to know about the futures of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin, whether there will be changes to the coaching staff, and, most importantly, if Lamoriello still believes in this group.

Lou doesn't offer too much in these situations, but we should be able to detect sentiment, and the fact that it is happening days after the team was eliminated instead of weeks is doing the right thing by the fans and those who cover the team. Perhaps he'll have a surprise announcement for us, or perhaps it will be business as usual. At least we'll know, and that's more we could say last year.