Islanders on the clock for new president/GM pick
Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs attends the 2023 NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
Time is growing short for the Islanders to hire a new boss, a search that has now taken a month.
So it’s not surprising the indications are pointing to the team being close to making a decision.
The Islanders requested — and have been granted — permission to speak to current Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan. His fate in Toronto, either through a contract extension or a parting of the ways, could be determined as early as Thursday as that team’s leadership meets to discuss its next moves.
The Islanders have also shown great interest in both Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin and Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche.
Hiring one of those three — or a combination — to replace Lou Lamoriello is the likely path. If Shanahan is hired, he could well re-open the interviewing process for a new GM.
The Islanders hired Lamoriello as president on May 22, 2018, exactly seven years ago. That gave him exactly one month to prepare for that year’s NHL Draft in Dallas on June 22-23, where he selected Oliver Wahlstrom with the 11th pick and defenseman Noah Dobson immediately after at No. 12. So Lamoriello batted .500 there.
This year’s NHL Draft in Los Angeles (though team personnel will remain at their own facilities as the league test drives a decentralized model) is June 27-28 with the Islanders, through the luck of the Draft Lottery, holding the first overall pick. That is a big portion of what makes it so urgent the Islanders soon pick a leader.
Granted, the Islanders are not rudderless here even after announcing on April 22 that Lamoriello’s contract as president/GM would not be renewed, though he is working out the rest of his contract, which runs through June 30, advising majority owner Scott Malkin while operating partner John Collins conducts the search for his successor(s).
The rest of the Islanders’ hockey operations staff, as well as their coaching staff starting with Patrick Roy, remains in place. Which means draft preparations are proceeding as always as the team works to decide whether to draft consensus No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman, center Michael Misa, Hauppauge’s James Hagens or go a different direction, perhaps even trading down to acquire additional assets. But the Draft goes beyond the first pick and the Islanders currently hold choices in all seven rounds.
But a new boss definitely needs to be in place to provide a mission statement on the team’s direction and how the Islanders want to approach this crucial draft, not to mention the free agency period that begins on July 1.
Even sooner than that, the first NHL buyout period begins either on June 15 or 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends, whichever date is later. That runs through June 30 and there are potentially choices that a boss needs to make on that front, for instance, what to do with defenseman Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall. The new boss needs time to study all that.
Shanahan, 56, a Hall of Fame player, has been the Maple Leafs president since 2014 — with Lamoriello serving under him as Toronto’s GM from 2015-18.
Bergevin, who turns 60 this summer, was the Canadiens GM from 2012-2021. He could serve as both president and GM but it’s unclear whether he would just prefer one or the other role.
Darche, 48, joined the Lightning in 2019 and has been the assistant GM since 2022, working closely with Lightning GM Julien BriseBois with the sense around the NHL that he will inevitably land a GM job.
One of Lamoriello’s favorite mantras is to take advantage of time if there is time to be had.
But now time is growing very short for the Islanders to make their choice.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
