Lou Lamoriello makes surprising announcement on hockey future

There are several reasons for this from how the roster is built, to coaching woes before hiring Patrick Roy, but throughout all the lows in the last three seasons, General Manager Lou Lamoriello has found a way to stay employed.

Despite a second consecutive first round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 81-year-old Lou Lamoriello told reporters on Friday that he will be returning for the 2024-25 season.

The news likely won't sit too well with New York Islanders fans who were hoping for change after several years with Lou Lamoriello at the helm, however, having Patrick Roy return for a full-season is a big bonus for the organization.

Lamoriello has a lot of work to do this summer to help the Islanders become a Stanley Cup contender again and go deep in the playoffs, like they did in 2019-20 and 2020-21. The one thing Lamoriello HAS to avoid this summer is handing out long-term contracts with either full or modified no-trade/no-movement clauses to bottom-six forwards, like he has done time and time again in the past.

Some of those examples include Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Pierre Engvall, as well as Matt Martin, who wasn't given a no-movement or no-trade clause but was handed a four-year contract which is almost unprecedented for a fourth-line player.

It's going to be interesting to keep an eye on the New York Islanders at the Entry Draft and free agency this summer to see if Lou Lamoriello does anything significant to improve his team.