Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The New York Islanders Are A Different Franchise

06/22/2018 at 7:05am EDT

from Mark Herrmann of Newsday,

For the first time in 35 years, the Islanders will have the reigning Stanley Cup champion coach behind their bench. That they are willing to pay him and that he was willing to take the job says everything about how far the franchise has come in the past two months.

Barry Trotz, the most accomplished coach the Islanders have had since Al Arbour, represents a whole new professional, aggressive approach. He also adds to it. The man who turned the expansion Predators into a perennial contender and turned the enigmatic Alex Ovechkin into a champion is the first major addition in Lou Lamoriello’s run. His arrival reinforces the point that the Islanders mean business.

“Lou is going to do what it takes to win. That got me excited right away,” Trotz said during a conference call Thursday afternoon.

The big numbers in his contract got him excited, too. That in itself was a breakthrough for the Islanders. For a good while, coaching has been a position in which the Islanders skimped. In fairness to Garth Snow, it is likely that the former general manager never had authorization to spend much on a coach.

continued

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]