ELMONT, N.Y. — Even as the Islanders were trying to turn things around on Tuesday night after going 1-3 on a four-game road trip, one thing was still clear: Ownership’s faith in general manager Lou Lamoriello was still very strong.
Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky spoke glowingly of the Isles’ general manager after he welcomed the one-millionth fan to enter UBS Arena ahead of his team’s battle with the Dallas Stars. Lamoriello has been at the helm since 2018 and under his stewardship, the Islanders have made the playoffs in three of the last four years.
“I mean, we have it written on top of the Owners Club, ‘in Lou we trust,'” Ledecky said. “That’s what you do. You have to support your folks 1,000%. We cannot waver. There’s a plan in place and he has to execute the plan.”
The comments were similar to the ones that Ledecky had made to amNewYork during an exclusive conversation earlier this season. The Islanders have been much more competitive this season after a down year in their first season at UBS.
They were 22-17-2 going into Tuesday but were sitting on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. The Islanders have had their fair share of ups and downs this season, which Ledecky said every team goes through.
“Every team is managing through injuries. It’s part of the game and I just liked the resilience and the tenacity of the team,” Ledecky said. “I like the fact that we can call folks up from Bridgeport and they’re playing right away in the system, and they’re ready to go. We’ve had some great, I think, pleasant surprises with those folks fitting right in and playing well and it’s good to see some top draft choices making it happen as well with the big club.”
The Islanders owner was likely referring to Aatu Raty and Simon Holmstrom, who returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing six games with a lower-body injury.
As far as Lamoriello goes, Ledecky stuck to the script with his general manager when asked if there was a bar that ownership expected him to meet with the club.
“The bar is that Lou is in the Hall of Fame. Lou won the GM of the year twice,” Ledecky said. “I’m neither and neither is (co-owner Scott Malkin). So when you have somebody who’s got that track record you let them do their job.”
It’s unknown what the terms of Lamoriello’s contract is with the Islanders and Ledecky said that he did not talk about hockey when a reporter asked if he had spoken with the GM about his contract going forward.
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Ledecky added that his focus was on the building operations and making sure things were running smoothly inside UBS Arena.
“The owner who becomes a GM or the owner who thinks he’s a GM has a fool for a client. So we will hand that over to Lou and let Lou do his job. And that’s what he’s trying to do,” Ledecky said.
