The Barry Trotz era of Islanders’ hockey is over, as general manager Lou Lamoriello fired him Monday.

Trotz, now the third-winningest coach in NHL history, brought stability to the Islanders in the wake of John Tavares’ departure. Almost overnight, he turned a team analysts thought would finish last in the standings into a Stanley Cup contender.

In his first season, he won the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year. The Islanders swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round before the Carolina Hurricanes swept them right back. Still, the team was playing with house money that season. Nobody thought they’d even make the playoffs.

The following year, in the bubble, he led the Islanders to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993. They dismantled the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals en route, while also holding off the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games. They eventually lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.

Last season, he did it again. The team came within a goal of the Stanely Cup Finals but lost to Tampa once again.

All that might’ve been enough to give Trotz the benefit of the doubt when he had a disappointing 37-35-10 record this season. It wasn’t.

What Was Wrong With Trotz?

Lamoriello said during his press conference Monday that he wouldn’t get into the specifics of why he let Trotz go. He only said that it was his job to do what’s best for the organization.

But Lamoriello admitted his decision to let Trotz go “wasn’t primarily made on just this season.” If you look past the conclusions of Trotz’s first three seasons, he might have a point.

Although the 2019-20 Isles made the Conference Finals, the playoffs were hardly guaranteed. When the NHL paused its season in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the Isles had 80 points in 68 games (.588 points percentage). They were sixth in the Metropolitan Division and falling fast. They were on a seven-game losing streak and star defenseman Adam Pelech was supposed to miss the rest of the season.

A constant during each of Trotz’s four seasons was the team’s inability to score. They finished 21st, 23rd, 20th and 24th in goals scored with Trotz behind the bench. When the defense gave out, so did the team. When the Islanders faced a superior offense in the playoffs, they couldn’t match it. Mat Barzal had 85 points in his rookie season under former head coach Doug Weight. He had only 62 the following season under Trotz.

Similarly, defenseman Devon Toews flourished offensively on an offensive scheme in Colorado only after leaving Long Island. Perhaps Trotz’s system stifled his offensive abilities.

We also can’t ignore his lineup decisions this season and in years prior. There’s no reason Trotz should’ve played 45-year-old Zdeno Chara as much as he did — however, Lamoriello was the one to sign Chara. His leashes on young forwards Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows were way too short, and vice versa for veterans Josh Bailey and Kyle Palmieri.

Even last season, Leo Komarov was not a first line player. Still, Trotz played him there anyway. When Lamoriello acquired Palmieri, Trotz kept the first line intact and used Palmieri on the third line. He also benched Wahlstrom for most of last season’s playoffs.

Washington Capitals’ blog Russian Machine Never Breaks pointed out something fascinating from this season. Despite having a top-five penalty kill and a decent power-play percentage, the Islanders were bottom-five in driving offense this season. They only controlled 46% of shot attempts. With goal-scoring reaching historic highs this season, the Islanders’ system wasn’t able to keep up.

“I believe that this group of players needs a new voice,” Lamoriello said.

Maybe the team does need a shakeup behind the bench to get Barzal, Wahlstrom, Beauvillier, Palmieri, etc. going again after disappointing seasons.

Lamoriello Shifting Blame?

But then there’s the other side of the argument. It was Lamoriello who protected the fourth line over Jordan Eberle during the Seattle Expansion Draft. He was the one who traded Toews and later offensive-minded defenseman Nick Leddy without bringing in sufficient replacements. He was the one who brought in Palmieri. It was his group of players — not Trotz’s — that underperformed this season. From that lens, this looks like Lamoriello throwing Trotz under the bus.

We may never know what really went on in the locker room this season and seasons prior. Sure, Wahlstrom publically said he appreciated Trotz’s tough love, but the young players might have been frustrated at their lack of ice time. The veterans might’ve gotten tired of Trotz’s scheme, or even got too comfortable in it. Perhaps Lamoriello spoke about these issues with his team during exit interviews, but he said he didn’t directly talk with his players.

“My opinion is what makes these decisions,” Lamoriello said.

In addition to that blunt quote, he also spoke about how he came to that opinion.

“Did I consult with anyone on this decision, the answer is no,” he said. “Did I speak to players on this decision? No. I would never even consider thinking of anything like that… This decision is on the knowledge that I have, of the experience I’ve had and going forward what I think and feel is best of this group to have success.”

Those aforementioned roster moves have lost him the benefit of the doubt considering the way this season went. If the roster is unchanged after this summer, he deserves to be fired too, no matter who he appoints as the next head coach.

Speaking of the next head coach, the timing of this isn’t great. If he doesn’t find a new head coach soon, it’ll be hard to lure free agents to Long Island. Johnny Gaudreau and Filip Forsberg can take their talents to a more stable squad.

The coaching market isn’t too hot either. Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau apparently has until June 1 to decide if he’ll return to the team. He’s a players’ coach that is far less structured than Trotz. Unlike Trotz though, he never won a Stanley Cup. Hiring an assistant from another team or from within the organization is also a possibility.

Clearly, there are a lot of unknowns. All we know is that this will be one of the most important offseasons the Islanders have ever had. Lamoriello is in the driver’s seat.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.