Lou Lamoriello did not go with the controversial Joel Quenneville or Mike Babcock in his replacement for Barry Trotz. He did not wait around to see what would happen with Pete DeBoer in Vegas or whether Paul Maurice wanted to get back into coaching.
Instead, after mandating a new voice in explaining the surprise firing of Trotz last week, Lamoriello elevated Trotz’s top assistant to the head job, with the Islanders announcing Lane Lambert as their new head coach on Monday morning.
“I had the opportunity to work with Lane over the past four years, which includes spending time with him on a one-on-one basis when he served as the interim head coach this past season,” Lamoriello said in a press release. “In my opinion, he is the right person to coach this team.”
Lambert, who had worked with Trotz since being elevated to an assistant coach with the Predators in 2011-12, served as head coach for the Islanders for a short period in January when Trotz missed time following the death of his mother and a positive COVID-19 test.
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Like Trotz, he had been with the Islanders for four seasons prior to Monday’s promotion.
It is not clear whether Lamoriello interviewed or spoke with any other candidates for the job.
Lambert has no head coaching experience in the NHL outside of what he did in the interim role with the Islanders this season. He last served as a head coach with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals from 2007-11.
