Why Islanders Moving on From Lambert Isn't as Simple as it Seems
Raleigh, NC -- The topic around the New York Islanders has been consistent for a few weeks.
With the Islanders inability to play a consistent brand of winning hockey (8-7-6), head coach Lane Lambert became public enemy No. 1.
We know how this league works. Even if the coach is not entirely to blame for failures, it's easier to fire a coach than to fire the players.
However, firing Lambert just to fire him may not bring the desired results. A new voice outside the organization would likely be needed to get this group playing the way the organization believes it can.
If the Islanders elevated someone from within the organization, whether it's power-play coach John MacLean or first-year Bridgeport head coach Rick Kowalsky, that would likely mean the Islanders focus would shift toward 2024-25.
While John Hynes may have been available following the Islanders' Western Canada/Seattle trip, he's been snagged by the Minnesota Wild (6-10-4) after they relieved Dean Evason of his duties following a seven-game slide.
Evason, who took over in Minnesota toward the end of the 2019-20 season after the firing of Bruce Boudreau, saw his interim tag dropped, earning a multi-year deal in December of 2021.
His firing this season had a lot to do with his netminders Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury struggling mightily, on top of the fact that scoring was hard to come by.
In 251 games in the state of hockey, Evason owned a record of 147-77-27, making the playoffs in four of the last five years (failed to get out of the first round).
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So Evason's name is now in the coaching pool, joining former Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, former New York Rangers bench boss Gerard Gallant, and Boudreau, to name a few.
Woodcroft was let go by Edmonton after a 3-9-1 start. Gallant was shown the door after a 107-point season with the Rangers after losing to the New Jersey Devils in seven games.
It was public knowledge that the Canucks were looking for Boudreau's replacement while he was still behind the bench, officially letting him go in exchange for Rick Tocchet on Jan. 22 after an 18-25-3 record through 46 games.
So, there are options out there for the Islanders, but like any trade, it takes two to tango.
Without knowing Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello's contract status, would he be willing to sign a coach to a multi-year deal, or would ownership allow that?
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Hypothetically speaking, if this was Lamoriello's final year, ownership would likely allow the next general manager to pick his coach, as we often see.
The most recent was Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz coming into his old stomping ground, relieving Hynes of his coaching duties to hire New Jersey Devils assistant and former Florida Panthers head coach Andrew Brunette.
Every coach is different in terms of what they are looking for. Some may have no issues proving themselves before earning a longer-term commitment.
Others would need a term to come aboard.
For example, would Woodcroft move his family from Edmonton across the entire continent to Long Island for an interim position?
"I wouldn't do it. Established coaches wouldn't do it," one former NHL head coach told The Hockey News. "If you are moving anywhere, it has to come with a contract."
Now, a coach like Evason sounds like he's ready to go wherever, whenever, according to his interview with The Athletic's Michael Russo.
"What do I need time for?" Evason said. "I didn't wake up today thinking I'm a s****y coach. I woke up today thinking I'm a f*****g good coach. I can coach. I'm ready to coach."
Evason is heading back to Montreal before visiting family as he awaits his next opportunity.
Following Hynes' introductory press conference, Russo also shared that the new bench boss plans to live in a hotel this season while his wife and three daughters will stay in Tennessee.
Coaching in the NHL is a privilege, but that doesn't mean there aren't external factors that make decisions anything but easy.
This is not to say that any coach named above is someone Lamoriello wants to bring in. And maybe it gets to the point where the two-time Jim Gregory GM of the Year award winner has no choice but to fire Lambert, even if there isn't a clear No. 1 replacement.
But one would think that if there was a head coach out there that Lamoriello truly believed could get this group playing a winning brand of hockey, that a move would be made already.
You can listen to Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert on Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season.
