Since the firing of veteran coach Barry Trotz, the New York Islanders continue to restructure their staff members. Associate coach Lane Lambert was promoted, but assistant coaches John Gruden and Jim Hiller were dismissed. Director of goaltending Mitch Korn and goaltending coach Piero Greco are still unsure of the conditions of their positions. Lou Lamoriello, President of Operations and General Manager of the Islanders, faces the task of replacing three assistant coaches. Meanwhile, an update has been made in the Islanders’ management. Elliotte Friedman, a reporter for Sportsnet, announced on Monday morning that Jim Paliafito has joined the Islanders’ front office. Paliafito may not be a household name, but he has been beneficial to the game since 2004-05. The value of Jim Paliafito in the Islanders will be high.
GM Jim Paliafito holds up @bradygilmour9 new Spirit Sweater. #SpiritNation pic.twitter.com/OP6p4uFkj8
— Saginaw Spirit (@SpiritHockey) April 11, 2015
From 2004-09, Paliafito was the Director of Player Personnel for the Indiana Ice of the USHL. Afterward, he worked his way up to become General Manager of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit from 2011-15. His National Hockey League tenure began in 2015 when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as Director of Player Evaluation. In particular, Paliafito’s expertise lies in the European free agent market. Based on this timeline, the move is another Lamoriello connection with a former team. Former New Jersey Devils players like Andy Greene, Kyle Palmieri, and Zach Parise have reunited with Lamoriello on the island. However, Paliafito was extremely successful in recruiting European scouts to the Leafs during the Lamoriello era. The value of Jim Paliafito will be crucial for the Islanders to be competitive in a tight salary cap era.
The Value of Jim Paliafito to the Leafs
The track record of Paliafito’s recruitments with the Leafs demonstrates how valuable his communication and hockey knowledge is. For example, Nikita Zaitsev has been vocal in his praise of Paliafito. On May 2nd, 2016, the Russian defenseman signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Leafs, who won this recruitment campaign against many other respective NHL clubs. Dan Milstein, an NHL agent with Gold Star Hockey, disclosed that people undervalue the work that Paliafito does for the Leafs. In fact, Milstein credited Paliafito for playing “a huge role in Nikita signing in Toronto.” Even Zaitsev was enthusiastic about his appreciation of Paliafito, expressing that the director for the Leafs did “everything” and described him as “unbelievable.” Paliafito is unique because he mastered recruiting through his development of deep and personal bonds with players.
In addition to Zaitsev, Paliafito fostered an intimate relationship with Ilya Mikheyev and led the Leafs to sign the undrafted winger on an entry-level contract in May 2019. In a Toronto Sun article from 2019, Steven Simmons wrote about Paliafito’s serious commitments to Mikheyev. Not only did Paliafito take the time and effort to analyze Mikheyev’s game, but he also invested in learning the player’s personality. Milstein said, “Every time I was at a game, Jim was at the game.” The agent went on to describe Paliafito as “The hardest working person in the business, the hardest working person I see everywhere.” Mikheyev would boil his choices down to three teams, but the Leafs were victorious for the work of Paliafito.
The Value of Jim Paliafito to the Islanders
Interestingly enough, Mikheyev is a pending unrestricted free agent this off-season. The quick and tenacious 27-year-old winger would be an ideal middle six and depth forward for any NHL lineup. However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN has reported that Mikheyev is aiming for a multi-year contract in the $4.75-5.5 million AAV range. Perhaps Mikheyev lands on the island, but this price tag is too rich for a one-time 20-goal scorer. The Islanders need to fill a void for a top-line winger and Mikheyev is not a solution.
Again, Paliafito’s role is in the recruitment of European free agents. For the Islanders, the organization has not signed a free agent out of Europe since KHL star Jan Kovar in 2018. Unfortunately, this signing would backfire as Kovar did not make the NHL roster. With an elite recruiter like Paliafito, the Islanders become an ideal landing spot for European players who want to fulfill their dreams of playing in the NHL. The 2022 NHL Draft is only three days away and the Islanders need immediate assistance with scouting and recruitment. Milstein also represents the Islanders’ starting goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who was an elite talent drafted by the Islanders. Paliafito would be able to further strengthen the team and European player relations while having an upper hand on European talents in future draft classes.
