It was announced today by General Manager and President Lou Lamoriello that the New York Islanders have relieved Head Coach Barry Trotz of his coaching duties. This comes as a pretty big surprise to the hockey world, despite the Islanders poor season. Trotz is coming off of his fourth season with the Islanders. This was the first time they had missed the playoffs with Trotz as a head coach. However, they had made the Conference Finals both years previous and round two in 2018-19.
#Isles News: New York Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced today that Barry Trotz has been relieved of his duties as Head Coach.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) May 9, 2022
Head Coach Barry Trotz Gone
As mentioned, despite the disappointing result this season, it is a pretty big surprise that Head Coach Barry Trotz will not be returning. Trotz has had a long history of success across many teams. He was also a major reason the Islanders’ made their two Conference Finals runs. His team structure has helped a team like New York overcome some of their lack of skill for a good team game where everyone chips in. The Isles do have skilled players, however, most people wouldn’t associate their roster with a back-to-back Conference Finals team.
The other big question will be what happens with goaltending coach Mitch Korn. Korn and Trotz go everywhere together, and Korn has had an incredible history of making great goalies. He and Trotz’s system seem to work great together. The latest benefactor has been Ilya Sorokin, who was a standout in a disappointing year.
Going Forward
Initially, this move could signal a rebuild or retool for the New York Islanders. However, the question that will be asked will clearly be does a manager of Lamoriello’s age want to commit to that? It is possible the team felt that a new voice was needed and that’s all. Even the best of coaches lose the room eventually. The Islanders may just look for a new voice and hope that this year, where they dealt with a long road trip due to construction, injuries, COVID, and more, was simply bad luck. Regardless, their offseason will be interesting to monitor.
If he wants to continue coaching, Barry Trotz will immediately become the most coveted head coach option available this summer. Not only did his work with the Islanders impress, but he was also coming fresh off of a Stanley Cup victory with the Washington Capitals. All of this will no doubt make him a target of many teams. If Trotz wants to continue, he will likely have a large option of suitors ahead of him.
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