The Islanders are set to hire veteran general manager Lou Lamoriello to direct their hockey operations, according to a report Monday in The Athletic.
According to the report, Lamoriello will replace Garth Snow, the Islanders' general manager the previous 12 years, and he might also assume Snow's role as president of hockey operations. But the report notes that Lamoriello "will be fully in charge." His son, Chris, already serves as assistant GM with the Islanders.
The Islanders are expected to make the announcement within days.
The 75-year-old Lamoriello is one of the most respected personnel men in the sport. In 27 seasons as the GM in New Jersey (1987 to 2015), the Devils rose from a perennial bottom feeder to win three Stanley Cups. More recently, he served three seasons as GM of the Maple Leafs before being replaced April 30. He is still under contract as an advisor to Toronto.
His change of status in Toronto caught the attention of the Islanders, who have missed the postseason the past two years. The Athletic confirmed earlier reports that Lamoriello had met last week with Islanders star and captain John Tavares, who is eligible for free agency this offseason.
Lamoriello won't have to wait long to begin putting his imprint on the Islanders — the team owns the 11th and 12th picks in next month’s NHL Draft.
According to The Athletic, Snow still has four more years remaining in his contract, which has a steep buyout clause.