Will Islanders’ Lane Lambert Have Time for Team to Recover?

Last summer, the NHL was completing the season and many teams like the New York Islanders were preparing for the draft and the off-season. However, Lou Lamoriello made a surprising announcement by relieving Barry Trotz as head coach and eventually giving longtime Trotz assistant coach, Lane Lambert, the job.

Lambert had been a hot coaching candidate in years past under Trotz. Despite his success and demand for interviews, Lambert remained with Trotz and the Islanders.

Slow Start With The Islanders

Despite the rumors throughout the off-season, Lamoriello did not dip into the free-agent market for scoring assistance. He doubled down and indicated that the team was ready to return to playoff contention.

With a first-time head coach like Lambert, the Islanders are familiar with the person and the way things are run.

As with any team coming off a tough season, a good start would be helpful for the confidence of the players and Lambert in his new position.

After six games, the Islanders have not injected much hope that things are going to turn around this season. Two wins against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have kept things from falling off the rails in Islander’s country, but things could go south quickly.

This week the Islanders will host cross-town rival, New York Rangers, before heading to North Carolina to play the 4-1-1 Hurricanes.

Right after the game is finished in North Carolina, the Islanders will head right back home to play the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.

Lambert’s Leash

The front office expects that last season was a fluke due to unlucky circumstances. The team would be able to return to form despite the unsuccessful season. This group had finished in the final four of the playoffs the prior two seasons.

With that said, the expectations are to win, or else the change expected in the off-season would need to be explored…fast! Hiring a first-time coach would allow a grace period to learn the ups and downs of the position, but this is not an ordinary situation.

The roster has a plethora of veteran players that are towards the end of their respective careers. With that have come expensive contracts and less cap space available.

Aside from Ilya Sorokin and Noah Dobson, the younger players have not broken out to be relied upon night in and night out.

It is a difficult position to put a rookie coach into, but Lambert had been working closely with Trotz for so long, Lamoriello assumed that he would be able to handle more than the average first-time coach.

Unfortunately for Lambert, this is a results-based business, and the Islanders will need to pick up points to push off the critics.

The organization is going in different directions, and something will have to give. If the Islanders continue to lose games into the first week of November, something will have to be done.

Currently, no center has any goals recorded. More importantly, Mat Barzal has not scored a goal yet.

Lamoriello must have either a shorter leash on Lambert or be willing to change the direction of the roster. The youth in the system is close enough to give a shot on a team that may not be destined for the playoffs.

Lambert has already played some of his cards in scratching players like Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, and Robin Salo. Salo has two goals and is a promising young defenseman but is currently in the AHL.

The rotation of healthy scratches cannot continue, especially if the team continues to drop points. Lamoriello may not want to admit the failure of his roster, but he will have to make a change and the coach may have a short leash.