“Real reason” was Barry Trotz was fired by Islanders emerges

It came as a surprise earlier this week when he New York Islanders had decided to part ways with legendary head coach Barry Trotz. Even though general manager Lou Lamoriello explained it was his decision and because he feels the Islanders need a new voice, speculation began circulating of why the Islanders would fire Trotz, who has just one year at $4MM left on his contract in New York. In a mailbag on NHL.com, Dan Rosen tried to make sense of Lamoriello’s explanation during the press conference.

“It’s impossible for anyone to say they know where the Islanders might turn for their next coach after firing Barry Trotz on Monday because general manager Lou Lamoriello does not allow for leaks of information. There can only be speculation, including as to the full scope of why Trotz was fired. Lamoriello said it was because he feels the Islanders need a new voice. There could be more to it than that, but he wasn’t going there Monday. OK, so let’s stick with what Lamoriello said. A new voice. Who has it?”

Let's not forget however that the Islanders finished the 2021-22 season at 37-35-10, good enough for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division after three straight playoff appearances. However, chatter has now emerged that the new voice request might have been made by players themselves. On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman pointed out that perhaps during his exit interviews, Lamoriello had heard enough of the players say that they needed a new voice, which ultimately could have convinced Lou to fire Trotz and make a change for next season. The real reason behind the significant move. 

It is no secret that Trotz is known to employ a strict system for his teams, one which could have worn on the team both mentally and physically. The head coach mentioned his tough love approach himself after the season, when he wondered if he could have made better use of the January stretch of 13 days where the team played just one game for rest, not practice.

Candidates have been mentioned now as potential remplacement for Trotz behind the bench, starting with current Associate Coach Lane Lambert , who is still under contract with the Islanders. However, Rosen does not believe this is the new voice the Isles need:

“His voice wouldn’t be new because the players know him well, but Lambert has also been long considered a future NHL coach. Maybe Lamoriello and the Islanders would feel his voice is new enough because it would be coming from Lambert the coach instead of Lambert the associate. The role matters. My speculation is that Lambert is a candidate. I hesitate to call him a favorite at this point because we just don’t know.”

When it comes to Trotz however, he who ranks third all-time in wins among NHL coaches, Friedman believes he will have no shortage of suitors for his services. Friedman speculates the Winnipeg Jets as a fit, seeing that Trotz’s Manitoba roots could be a reason to convince the talented head coach to take the job with Winnipeg.