Lou Lamoriello insists this time will be different.
Having digested the blow of John Tavares jetting to the Toronto Maple Leafs via free agency, Lamoriello told Postmedia's Michael Traikos that the New York Islanders do not intend on living in the NHL's basement like his former club did a few years ago.
When Lamoriello and Leafs coach Mike Babcock joined forces in Toronto back in May 2015, they were blunt about the team's bleak short-term prospects, with Babcock famously warning fans about imminent "pain." You won't be hearing anything similar from Lamoriello or new Islanders coach Barry Trotz anytime soon, the general manager said Friday.
“There’s always pain when you miss the playoffs so many years in a row," Lamoriello said, referring to the old Leafs. "But I think where the Islanders are today are more progressed than where Toronto was at the given time. It's different.
“In saying that, we have to see. But no, I do not think it will end up the way the first year it ended up in Toronto. Mike (Babcock) and I went through (pain) for one full year in Toronto. I want to jumpstart that.”
Despite the Tavares setback, there is apparently no time like the present for the Mat Barzal-led Islanders. The club's transactions in the hours and days immediately following Tavares' decision, while criticized by some as knee-jerk reactions, certainly back up Lamoriello's "jumpstart" mindset.
The 75-year-old Lamoriello inked pest Leo Komarov to a four-year contract, signed veteran Valtteri Filppula to a one-year pact, picked up winger Tom Kuhnhackl on a one-year deal, traded for fighter Matt Martin (who has two years remaining on his contract), and brought in goalie Robin Lehner for a single season.
“You don’t look back," Lamoriello added. "You don’t complain. You just go forward.”
