Order Of Operations With Season Over

The Islanders have a lot to figure out before the official offseason begins.

Stefen Rosner

and

The Elmonters

Apr 18, 2025

The New York Islanders’ season has come to an end.

While 16 teams are gearing up to begin their Stanley Cup chase, Long Island must start figuring out their plans for the 2025-26 season.

Here’s the order of operations.

Ownership Has To Make A Decision On Lamoriello

The Islanders have missed the playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons, winning a combined two playoff games over that span.

The roster that Lamoriello has tripled down on since the back-to-back semifinal appearances is clearly flawed and significant changes are needed to turn the Islanders into a true Stanley Cup competitor.

That’s not something that can happen overnight or in one offseason, but it’s time for major steps to be taken.

When Lamoriello traded Brock Nelson at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, it marked a significant moment for the franchise, a crucial first step in the right direction.

However, more steps are needed, and if ownership doesn’t believe Lamoriello will continue to break apart the group he’s shown tremendous faith in, then someone else has to be brought in.

However, the belief is that Lamoriello, 82, will be back for an eighth season with the club. He did say that changes would be coming this summer to his team, and the fate of the organization, both in the short term and the long term, depends on that.

Is Patrick Roy Coming Back?

The expectations of a full year under head coach Patrick Roy didn’t meet the reality.

Yes, injuries to Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair, and the entire backend at one point or another, as well as the loss of the reliable backup Semyon Varlamov, were crushing blows.

However, injuries are a part of every season, and the blown leads and horrific penalty kill in the first half — both improved in the second half — as well as the year-long brutal power play, were vital reasons the team did not make the playoffs.

There were times where Roy elected to thrown certain players under the bus when maybe other players deserved equal or more ridicule. His lineup decisions at times were highly questionable.

And the spark that he showed when first hired, the loudness on the bench, the “Patrick Roy” experience, if you will, wasn’t there as much this season. That was probably by design but Roy was brought in to be a spark and too many times this season, the team seemed lethargic.

Certain players thrived in Roy’s system and it seemed like he was building a strong foundation. Roy can achieve success here if the club brings in more players who can effectively play his system.

That's on Lamoriello or whoever is running the organization.

Roy’s extension goes beyond the 2025-26 season so the Islanders would need to fire the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender if they didn’t believe he is the right fit going forward.

A coaching decision will ultimately depend on who is running the organization.