Confirmed with Link: Isles Hire Lou Lamoriello as President of Hockey Operations.

[CREW99AW]

Have there been any rumblings (besides Conte) about some of LL’s ppl he’s going to bring in, or whether he plans to expand the staff?

Think this is a real important area; as NYI could use improvement in the drafting dept. Drafting is the core of team building; and they’ve missed on a lot of picks.

Just press speculation that Lou may be waiting to talk to Hunter ( available July 15th) and Trotz ( available July 1st).

 

[Sparksrus3]

It's Lousday afternoon . What time is the press conference , press release, or banner flying over Brooklyn? Tuesday is Lousday newsday.

 

[xECK29x]

Dude is already on the decline, no news in one week!

 

[BTrotts19]

Maybe Lou didn't flip over his desktop calendar (Lou's old school like that!!) and forgot it's Tuesday....I mean, he's got nothing else on his plate, C'MON LOU !!!!

 

[BelovedIsles]

No ‘lews’ today it appears.

 

[Glory Days]

Lou probably purposely held off on any news. He thought he was becoming too predictable. Not good for his image.

 

[Sparksrus3]

HELLO !
Lou are you out there ? Freaken guy . Give us something .
Please Lou Please

 

[billingtons ghost]

As a Devils fan and former Lou-Ade drinker, let me make it clear that Lou can say 'Status Quo' with a completely blank aspect on his face for weeks at a time and right up until a second before the bomb drops.

Amongst his unique Jedi powers is the ability to troll his own fanbase and yet somehow make it seem wonderful in the end.

 

[doublechili]

As a Devils fan and former Lou-Ade drinker, let me make it clear that Lou can say 'Status Quo' with a completely blank aspect on his face for weeks at a time and right up until a second before the bomb drops.

Amongst his unique Jedi powers is the ability to troll his own fanbase and yet somehow make it seem wonderful in the end.

You have a way with words, Devils fan, enemy of our enemy (NYR), and therefore friend. Feel free to share pearls with us anytime you like.

 

[periferal]

As a Devils fan and former Lou-Ade drinker, let me make it clear that Lou can say 'Status Quo' with a completely blank aspect on his face for weeks at a time and right up until a second before the bomb drops.

Amongst his unique Jedi powers is the ability to troll his own fanbase and yet somehow make it seem wonderful in the end.

So if I understand you correctly you're saying that Lou wasn't that good with the Devils, but made himself seem better than he is with the fans. Is that correct?

 

[billingtons ghost]

So if I understand you correctly you're saying that Lou wasn't that good with the Devils, but made himself seem better than he is with the fans. Is that correct?

It was rarely clear cut. It is tough, as a fan, to understand what is truly good for the organization, that maybe your best signing is not re-signing a fan favorite, or just signing a #4 defensive defenseman.

Make no mistake in the 90s Lou could do no wrong and was brilliant.

Through the salary cap era however, we watched Niedermayer, Rafalski, Gomez, Holik, Parise and Kovy all walk out the door with no compensation. I'll add Clarkson to that. Our big UFA signings were guys like Volchenkov and it pissed everyone off and is always cause of great debate.

So- was 2012 smoke and mirrors, or did Lou play it all just perfectly? I mean somehow he sends some guys with lead pipes over to the Atlanta Thrashers offices along with some flawed prospects and we walk away with Kovy. Huh?

One thing I'll say: the GM moves may not be perfect - the drafting may be flawed - but with Lou you know the direction of the organization from top to bottom and the effort of the players and coaches isn't to be questioned. Old fashioned, behind the times... what the f*** ever... Look at what the Knights did with just motivation and a bit of talent.

Personally, I think the Isles (and Maple Leafs) are perfect candidates for Lou. Good talent on board rudderless ships.

You got yourself one hell of a rudder, and if the players buy in - look the hell out.

 

[billingtons ghost]

You have a way with words, Devils fan, enemy of our enemy (NYR), and therefore friend. Feel free to share pearls with us anytime you like.

Thanks - we'll revel together as our teams rise and their window shuts tighter and tighter. Good times for our teams.

 

[BelovedIsles]

As a Devils fan and former Lou-Ade drinker, let me make it clear that Lou can say 'Status Quo' with a completely blank aspect on his face for weeks at a time and right up until a second before the bomb drops.

Amongst his unique Jedi powers is the ability to troll his own fanbase and yet somehow make it seem wonderful in the end.

Thanks for stopping by.

I think we are seeing that play out in front of our very eyes. He doesn’t release much information, seems to have a shadiness about his dealings (keeps quiet to protect himself and motives). As a result, the fanbase is left filling voids of information with theories, rumors, and at times BS.

I wouldn’t be surprised if LL told one if his henchmen to feed us guised rumors.

 

[Sparksrus3]

THLOUSDAY is the new TLOUSDAY

Love this guy.

 

[Jan Ludvig]

It was rarely clear cut. It is tough, as a fan, to understand what is truly good for the organization, that maybe your best signing is not re-signing a fan favorite, or just signing a #4 defensive defenseman.

Make no mistake in the 90s Lou could do no wrong and was brilliant.

Through the salary cap era however, we watched Niedermayer, Rafalski, Gomez, Holik, Parise and Kovy all walk out the door with no compensation. I'll add Clarkson to that. Our big UFA signings were guys like Volchenkov and it pissed everyone off and is always cause of great debate.

So- was 2012 smoke and mirrors, or did Lou play it all just perfectly? I mean somehow he sends some guys with lead pipes over to the Atlanta Thrashers offices along with some flawed prospects and we walk away with Kovy. Huh?

One thing I'll say: the GM moves may not be perfect - the drafting may be flawed - but with Lou you know the direction of the organization from top to bottom and the effort of the players and coaches isn't to be questioned. Old fashioned, behind the times... what the f*** ever... Look at what the Knights did with just motivation and a bit of talent.

Personally, I think the Isles (and Maple Leafs) are perfect candidates for Lou. Good talent on board rudderless ships.

You got yourself one hell of a rudder, and if the players buy in - look the hell out.

In Lou’s defense though, Niedermayer left to go play with his brother and took less money. Parise went home, though I think Lou could have signed him if he really pushed the year prior. Looking at it now though, with Parise breaking down the last few years, I’m glad we’re not stuck with him long term. IIRC, Detroit gave Rafalski a huge contract and he really took it up a notch when he left NJ. As far as Gomez, that was a ridiculous contract that the Rags gave him. They were just plain lucky that they suckered Montreal into taking him. My biggest criticism of Lou was that he let guys get to FA, without getting something back at the deadline before they hit FA. That was the biggest adjustment that he never made in the cap era and it really hurt us. I think leaving us and going to Toronto, where he didn’t fully run the show may have given him new perspective. I really think he’s going to take the Isles to the next level. They have a good young core to build on and those two early draft picks I think will be huge. I also think JT will be back. It sucks that they are in our division, but it is cool to see the Isles and Devils on the upswing at the same time. I just hope all of the Rags draft picks are flops. Strangely, I am really happy for you guys. You’ve suffered long enough and deserve good things moving forward....

 

[billingtons ghost]

In Lou’s defense though, Niedermayer left to go play with his brother and took less money. Parise went home, though I think Lou could have signed him if he really pushed the year prior. Looking at it now though, with Parise breaking down the last few years, I’m glad we’re not stuck with him long term. IIRC, Detroit gave Rafalski a huge contract and he really took it up a notch when he left NJ. As far as Gomez, that was a ridiculous contract that the Rags gave him. They were just plain lucky that they suckered Montreal into taking him. My biggest criticism of Lou was that he let guys get to FA, without getting something back at the deadline before they hit FA. That was the biggest adjustment that he never made in the cap era and it really hurt us. I think leaving us and going to Toronto, where he didn’t fully run the show may have given him new perspective. I really think he’s going to take the Isles to the next level. They have a good young core to build on and those two early draft picks I think will be huge. I also think JT will be back. It sucks that they are in our division, but it is cool to see the Isles and Devils on the upswing at the same time. I just hope all of the Rags draft picks are flops. Strangely, I am really happy for you guys. You’ve suffered long enough and deserve good things moving forward....

Yep - pretty much agree with everything you said here.

I wasn't using the FAs as a condemnation, but rather, as you said - an example of what could certainly be considered a controversial move by Lou. In his defense further - in almost all of those cases, it wasn't like we weren't competitive and that getting rid of Parise at his prime just because you didn't think you could sign him would have been an obvious move.

We don't go to the cup finals without Parise - and Lou NEVER thinks he WON'T sign someone - maybe to his detriment - and we would've been in a Hamonic bind anyway with JP Parise on his deathbed... so....

I'm a Lou fan - and I'm with you - I wish the Isles were in the Western Conference because I definitely have a minor rooting interest. Want to see you guys (and Lou) succeed.

 

[Oneiro]

Another Devils fan here. Totally agree with what's been said: Lou is frustrating from a fan entertainment point of view, but the lack of information is often worth it from a hockey perspective. A weird tension and release dynamic.

No GM out there better understands that how the group functions as a whole is what matters. The Volchenkov signing is a great example. Wasn't a fan but it paid dividends for a while and then was an anchor - very much a Lou move in the cap era. Most of his mistakes towards the end of his time with the Devils were the result of Vanderbeek's financial woes (forcing him to look for cheap options, as opposed to team driven options) and very poor drafting. I still believe he took more than his fair share of heat for the team's bad performance post-2012 (and frankly, two of those years they were on the playoff bubble with a weak roster).

Now that Lou has full control again with a structure-driven coach like Trotz behind the bench, I expect the Isles to be one of most competitive teams in the league again.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Garth learned from Lou to be tight lipped so it’s fine, used to no leaks anyway

 

[Jan Ludvig]

Yep - pretty much agree with everything you said here.

I wasn't using the FAs as a condemnation, but rather, as you said - an example of what could certainly be considered a controversial move by Lou. In his defense further - in almost all of those cases, it wasn't like we weren't competitive and that getting rid of Parise at his prime just because you didn't think you could sign him would have been an obvious move.

We don't go to the cup finals without Parise - and Lou NEVER thinks he WON'T sign someone - maybe to his detriment - and we would've been in a Hamonic bind anyway with JP Parise on his deathbed... so....

I'm a Lou fan - and I'm with you - I wish the Isles were in the Western Conference because I definitely have a minor rooting interest. Want to see you guys (and Lou) succeed.

Totally agree with you. Lou was in a tough situation with most of these guys. We were competitive and really couldn’t trade most of the pending FA’s listed here.

 

[MJF]

Yep - pretty much agree with everything you said here.

I wasn't using the FAs as a condemnation, but rather, as you said - an example of what could certainly be considered a controversial move by Lou. In his defense further - in almost all of those cases, it wasn't like we weren't competitive and that getting rid of Parise at his prime just because you didn't think you could sign him would have been an obvious move.

We don't go to the cup finals without Parise - and Lou NEVER thinks he WON'T sign someone - maybe to his detriment - and we would've been in a Hamonic bind anyway with JP Parise on his deathbed... so....

I'm a Lou fan - and I'm with you - I wish the Isles were in the Western Conference because I definitely have a minor rooting interest. Want to see you guys (and Lou) succeed.

Towards the end of Lou's time with NJ some people thought he lost something off his fastball. Other than him trying the tri-coaches gimmick, which I thought was bizarre, how much of Lou's performance was brought down by financial problems when Vanderbeek was team owner?

 

[billingtons ghost]

Towards the end of Lou's time with NJ some people thought he lost something off his fastball. Other than him trying the tri-coaches gimmick, which I thought was bizarre, how much of Lou's performance was brought down by financial problems when Vanderbeek was team owner?

Tough to say. He's always been reasonably tight with the purse strings, so any frugality probably wasn't because of Vanderbeek. I'm more a fan of that and building from within than running out and trying to buy a championship like the squad across the river so it didn't bother me.

I think most critics pointed to Conte and Lou's failed drafting - that left the team the Shero inherited with a few good pieces, but not much in the pipeline of quality. It has to be said that being in the playoffs for 20 years+ and never drafting in the lottery eventually catches up to a team - so even that criticism comes with a catch. He missed on alot of picks, though, so that criticism is warranted.

The bulk of the critics also pointed to his philosophical approach of 'never rebuild, just reload' as something that kept the Devils as a perennial first or second-round exit squad instead of falling far enough to get some fresh blood (see Nico Hischier) to push us over the top.

The guy *is* pushing 80, so questions about sharpness abound - but he attracts talented folks like moths to a flame, so the hope would be that a solid GM and solid scouting + Lou as a sounding board/philosophical overlord == Cup.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

The guy *is* pushing 80, so questions about sharpness abound - but he attracts talented folks like moths to a flame, so the hope would be that a solid GM and solid scouting + Lou as a sounding board/philosophical overlord == Cup.

It's fine here too though when you consider we don't need him to add a Hirchier with Barzal, Beauviller and Pulock already in the flanks.

 

[MJF]

Tough to say. He's always been reasonably tight with the purse strings, so any frugality probably wasn't because of Vanderbeek. I'm more a fan of that and building from within than running out and trying to buy a championship like the squad across the river so it didn't bother me.

I think most critics pointed to Conte and Lou's failed drafting - that left the team the Shero inherited with a few good pieces, but not much in the pipeline of quality. It has to be said that being in the playoffs for 20 years+ and never drafting in the lottery eventually catches up to a team - so even that criticism comes with a catch. He missed on alot of picks, though, so that criticism is warranted.

The bulk of the critics also pointed to his philosophical approach of 'never rebuild, just reload' as something that kept the Devils as a perennial first or second-round exit squad instead of falling far enough to get some fresh blood (see Nico Hischier) to push us over the top.

The guy *is* pushing 80, so questions about sharpness abound - but he attracts talented folks like moths to a flame, so the hope would be that a solid GM and solid scouting + Lou as a sounding board/philosophical overlord == Cup.

The Red Wings are falling victim to the same "don't rebuild, reload" philosophy. Too many years of drafting in the first round between 12 and 24 is slow death for a franchise.

 

[Glory Days]

The Red Wings are falling victim to the same "don't rebuild, reload" philosophy. Too many years of drafting in the first round between 12 and 24 is slow death for a franchise.

As opposed to the Isles 12 year rebuild strategy which worked wonders.

 

[Lame Lambert]

The Red Wings are falling victim to the same "don't rebuild, reload" philosophy. Too many years of drafting in the first round between 12 and 24 is slow death for a franchise.

Picking “character guys” 5OA is a much better strategy