On New York Islanders …
Chris Nichols of FRS Hockey: Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 650 and was talking about the Islanders situation.
Friedman notes that Lou Lamoriello and Garth Snow get along really well. Doug Weight has only been the head coach for a year and they may not want to make a change so quickly. Scott Stevens has a tendency to follow Lamoriello and the Islanders problem last year was their blue line – spitballing that it might be a possibility.
There are some teams that are really mad about Lamoriello talking to Tavares before he was officially hired according to Friedman, but “we’ve always known there’s a set of rules for Lou Lamoriello, and there’s a set of rules for everybody else,” chuckled Friedman.
“I do think – one of the things I’m kind of hearing – is that I do think that Kovalchuk could be a part of this. Lou Lamoriello has a big history with Ilya Kovalchuk. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll make a pitch to him to come to the Islanders.
“I think the other thing too is I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re going to be in the goalie market either.”
Chris Nichols of FRS Hockey: Bob McKenzie on TSN 1040 and was asked if the Islanders will be moving on from GM Garth Snow. McKenzie said that Lou’s title only says the president of hockey ops.
“So the question is – Mark Hunter just left the Toronto Maple Leafs today. There’s lots of speculation – and it’s only speculation at this point – that maybe Hunter could eventually join Lou with the Islanders, in what capacity we’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what happens with Garth and Dougie Weight, but Lou’s the boss and that’s the bottom line.”
McKenzie said the top challenge for the Islanders is to get John Tavares re-signed. No one really knows what Tavares is thinking, but part of him wants to stay with the Islanders. Lamoriello has met with him and McKenzie doesn’t know what Lamoriello could say this early that would accelerate his signing.
Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 said the odds have improved in the Islanders favor with the hiring of Lamoriello.
“I think this pushes the possibility, the percentage of Tavares staying with the Islanders, to at least 50-50 – to at least 50-50. Because there’d be a healthy amount of respect from John Tavares to Lou Lamoriello.”
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