After losing captain John Tavares, GM Lou Lamoriello went about filling the roster with players with winning experience
NEW YORK — Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz say they didn’t know exactly what to expect from the New York Islanders this season.
The answers have come in the form of a stunning one-year turnaround that has the Islanders in the second round of the playoffs. New York gave up a league-low 191 goals, charged to the top of the Metropolitan Division and just swept the star-laden Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.“That’s kind of been a little bit of the story line here and we’re used to it,” said Anders Lee, who succeeded Tavares as team captain.
The 76-year-old Lamoriello, whose long career includes building the New Jersey Devils into an NHL power a generation ago, vowed to bring a culture change to the Islanders when he took over as the president of hockey operations last May. A few weeks later, he fired general manager Garth Snow and coach Doug Weight.
“We were looking for good people, the people who have won,” Trotz said. “That’s so important for our growth as an organization and a group coming in. We looked for character people and Lou did a great job.”“It’s helped us all along,” said forward Josh Bailey, now the longest-tenured Islander in his 11th season with the team.
The focus on defence has meant playing with more discipline. And while a few players enjoyed boosts in their offensive production, it meant reductions for others, including Mathew Barzal, Lee, Bailey and Jordan Eberle. The sacrifices have resulted in more overall success. “I think from that point we really trusted our game,” Trotz said. “We were sort of in-between a little bit and that sort of galvanized the group.”
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