A week after the Islanders relieved Barry Trotz from his duties as head coach, the team announced his successor. On Monday, the New York Islanders announced Associate Coach Lane Lambert was promoted to be the 18th head coach in Islanders’ history.

Lambert served as an Islanders’ Associate Coach throughout the Barry Trotz era from 2018-2022. In fact, Lambert worked with Trotz throughout his head coaching career, joining his coaching staffs with the Nashville Predators and the Washington Capitals. He worked alongside Trotz to help the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup in 2018 as well.

With the Islanders, Lambert was alongside Trotz for the best seasons for the franchise in the 21st century. He helped the Islanders to the playoffs in three straight years, including two runs to the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, despite the hire, this will not be Lambert’s first time head coaching the Islanders.

While Lambert hasn’t been a full time head coach in the National Hockey League yet, he has his share of experience in the minor leagues. From 2007-2011, he was the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals and was the head of several playoff teams. In four seasons with the club, Lambert went 178-103-39 with postseason berths in all four years before earning the promotion to the Predators. Lambert does have an NHL game under his belt as well. After Trotz took time away from the team for a personal matter, Lane Lambert assumed the Islanders’ coaching duties for three games, leading the team to a 2-1-0 record. With his experience and connections to Trotz, he will look to carry on the structure-based game the Islanders boast while incorporating new elements as well.

In a press release on Monday morning, team President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said, “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. In my opinion, he is the right person to coach this team.” The team will make Lambert available to the media at 1:00 PM today.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.