Roger Mussa: Was It A Mistake For The Devils To Let Lou Lamoriello Go?

No Leapin lou destroys the game wherever he goes That is not hockey It is a mindset to undermine hockey in the worst way

in 2 years the islanders will be a mess

Being in my 40's I'm betting I'm probably older than most people that post here. I had the fortune of seeing the team turn from nobodies in the late 80's to a powerhouse in the mid 90's and 2000's. Devils fans owe much of that to Lou. However, as much as I love Lou, it was time to change.

Four out of the last 5 seasons under Lou they didn't make the playoffs.

They had a miracle run in 2012, but other than that year you have to go back to 2006 to see the last time they made it out of the first round of the playoffs. That's one time in his last eight seasons in NJ where they made it out of round 1.

With Lou they were constantly in win now mode, which as a fan you love, but in practice really didnt work after 2005, because the roster aged, his core was gone (Stevens, Dano, Neidermayer, etc.) and he didn't have the farm system to replenish it by trades or call-ups. To say his drafting was bad is a gross understatement.
From 2005 to 2014, this is the list of players still in the NHL:
Wood
Severson
Coleman
Santini
Kerfoot (never signed)
Larsson
Wedgewood
Merrill
Henrique
That's one top 6 forward and 2 Top 4D in 10 years.

You can say Parise and Kovalchuk screwed things up, but I'll point back to the playoff results outside of 2012 that I already mentioned, and the fact that (a) some of that's on the GM, and (b) it wasn't like they had a powerhouse roster even with those guys (2011 they had both Parise and Kovy and missed the playoffs). His free agent signings towards the end were bad (Ryan Clowe, Mike Camelleri, anyone?), and his last two seasons were among his worst (2013-2014 6th in Metro, 25th overall, 2014-2015 7th in Metro, 26th overall). When you are getting those results, have no farm system at all, and are paying Ryan Clowe 25 mill for 5 years, it's time to try something different.

Also, not to detract from what he's done with Isles, but the core of that team was already there in 2018 when he took over (it's by and large the same roster). Lou hired Trotz, which was a no brainer and gift from the Caps. He made a good signing in goal, and a good trade with NJ, but what's happening now is not some stroke of genius by Lamoriello, the pieces were far and away already in place. If anything, the bulk of the credit should go to the coach, whos managed the same roster to much better results than they were getting (which he has consistently done his whole career).

People are quick to criticize Lou Lams, but not only is he a HOF GM and the builder of a team that won multiple cups, but he also the winningest coach in Devils history.

That is not to say Lou had a couple of significant issues. I don't think he's a great Cap GM. He should never had let Parise get to free agency, but his M.O. was to not negotiate with players during the season. Something now that is clearly ridiculous. But he's a stubborn guy. He stuck with David Conte despite horrible drafting... and was never particularly good at marketing the team.

In NJ it was time for some changes. I actually think Lou and Shero could have worked well together. Lou is not a particularly good horse trader but he understands how to build a team that is greater then the sum of it's parts. He understands what good coaching is and it's impact on the game. He understands how to address problems that need to be addressed and how to instill a good culture in a team. Lou Lams is a winner.

With our current owners, I don't think it was a good fit any more. They were intolerant of the teams problems an looked at Lou as a relic and member of the past. But so far all the new owners have built is a good farm system, a draft lottery machine and run the team on a shoe string budget.

Being in my 40's I'm betting I'm probably older than most people that post here. I had the fortune of seeing the team turn from nobodies in the late 80's to a powerhouse in the mid 90's and 2000's. Devils fans owe much of that to Lou. However, as much as I love Lou, it was time to change.

Four out of the last 5 seasons under Lou they didn't make the playoffs.

They had a miracle run in 2012, but other than that year you have to go back to 2006 to see the last time they made it out of the first round of the playoffs. That's one time in his last eight seasons in NJ where they made it out of round 1.

With Lou they were constantly in win now mode, which as a fan you love, but in practice really didnt work after 2005, because the roster aged, his core was gone (Stevens, Dano, Neidermayer, etc.) and he didn't have the farm system to replenish it by trades or call-ups. To say his drafting was bad is a gross understatement.
From 2005 to 2014, this is the list of players still in the NHL:
Wood
Severson
Coleman
Santini
Kerfoot (never signed)
Larsson
Wedgewood
Merrill
Henrique
That's one top 6 forward and 2 Top 4D in 10 years.

You can say Parise and Kovalchuk screwed things up, but I'll point back to the playoff results outside of 2012 that I already mentioned, and the fact that (a) some of that's on the GM, and (b) it wasn't like they had a powerhouse roster even with those guys (2011 they had both Parise and Kovy and missed the playoffs). His free agent signings towards the end were bad (Ryan Clowe, Mike Camelleri, anyone?), and his last two seasons were among his worst (2013-2014 6th in Metro, 25th overall, 2014-2015 7th in Metro, 26th overall). When you are getting those results, have no farm system at all, and are paying Ryan Clowe 25 mill for 5 years, it's time to try something different.

Also, not to detract from what he's done with Isles, but the core of that team was already there in 2018 when he took over (it's by and large the same roster). Lou hired Trotz, which was a no brainer and gift from the Caps. He made a good signing in goal, and a good trade with NJ, but what's happening now is not some stroke of genius by Lamoriello, the pieces were far and away already in place. If anything, the bulk of the credit should go to the coach, whos managed the same roster to much better results than they were getting (which he has consistently done his whole career).
- robvl22

You forgot Ryder, Brunner, Ruutu, Tootoo

Roger Mussa: Was It A Mistake For The Devils To Let Lou Lamoriello Go?
- Devils Advocate

No. I think Lou has committed way too much term to players well out of their prime. This is an all in season for the Isles, and the additions of Palms and Zajac sure look brilliant at the moment, but equal credit is due to Trotz. That coach is worth his weight in gold. He has them buying into a classic Devs system, and has done nothing but overachieve since the days of Nashville (if anyone remembers their cheapest 38M team that finished 3rd that reg season). I would not trade the current Devs squad for the current Isles squad and their remaining contracts. What Fits did with Hall, Coleman, Greene, Zajac/Palms, and taking a stab at Gusev, was spectacular. We won't know for a few years yet, but I think he had taken a major step to rejuvenating this club with young talent. I know Gusev didn't work out, but when his comparisons were Panarin and Dadanov, I think it was a smart gamble. Go Fitz!

People are quick to criticize Lou Lams, but not only is he a HOF GM and the builder of a team that won multiple cups, but he also the winningest coach in Devils history.

That is not to say Lou had a couple of significant issues. I don't think he's a great Cap GM. He should never had let Parise get to free agency, but his M.O. was to not negotiate with players during the season. Something now that is clearly ridiculous. But he's a stubborn guy. He stuck with David Conte despite horrible drafting... and was never particularly good at marketing the team.

In NJ it was time for some changes. I actually think Lou and Shero could have worked well together. Lou is not a particularly good horse trader but he understands how to build a team that is greater then the sum of it's parts. He understands what good coaching is and it's impact on the game. He understands how to address problems that need to be addressed and how to instill a good culture in a team. Lou Lams is a winner.

With our current owners, I don't think it was a good fit any more. They were intolerant of the teams problems an looked at Lou as a relic and member of the past. But so far all the new owners have built is a good farm system, a draft lottery machine and run the team on a shoe string budget.
- Queenie_5_hole

100% agree with you. Can't ever forget what Lou has done for this club. His zero B.S approach, and demand for accountability is the reason most of us have memories of our team hoisting the cup at least a couple of times. People forget that there was a time when players requested to join our club, and Lou was a big reason why. The expectations were always high.

If anybody has a spare 40 minutes, listen to the latest "31 thoughts" podcast by Elliott Friedman. It features the Devs/76'rs president O'Neil who has some funny stories about his early meetings with Lou. Good for a laugh and to simply hear the thoughts coming from our Prez.

YES

YES
- Nelson19777

Fitz > Benning

No. It was time for him to move on when he did. What he did for this org during its prime was nothing short of amazing but, once that ship sailed he floundered big time. Between Conte and LL, I'm not sure who I was happier to see gone. We haven't had a consistently solid team in well over a decade and a half and piss poor drafting and poor player development are at the heart of our issues. Many of those issues began in the tail end of Lou's Devil career.

However, I still remember the 80s and being the laughing stock of the league and how great the 90s and early 2000s were to us. Uncle Lou gets the lion share of the credit for that transformation. All in all, i harbor no ill will for the man.

Lou bled the team dry. Shero should be applauded for turning the ship around…
Lou left nj no farm system and no hope. I loved him dont get me wrong and i do believe if had the money from owners like he did in toronto and long island nj wouldve been better off.

Buttt playing hardball with every decent free agent they had and losing them for nothing got old. And lets be honest he loves re treads…. Ya islanders are great now but what if they lost round 1… same old lou trusting aging retreads

Lou didnt build this core garth snow did lets not forget

Roger Mussa: Was It A Mistake For The Devils To Let Lou Lamoriello Go?
- Devils Advocate

Yes

Roger Mussa: Was It A Mistake For The Devils To Let Lou Lamoriello Go?
- Devils Advocate

Maybe

Also, where’s Woo?!

No. I think Lou has committed way too much term to players well out of their prime. This is an all in season for the Isles, and the additions of Palms and Zajac sure look brilliant at the moment, but equal credit is due to Trotz. That coach is worth his weight in gold. He has them buying into a classic Devs system, and has done nothing but overachieve since the days of Nashville (if anyone remembers their cheapest 38M team that finished 3rd that reg season). I would not trade the current Devs squad for the current Isles squad and their remaining contracts. What Fits did with Hall, Coleman, Greene, Zajac/Palms, and taking a stab at Gusev, was spectacular. We won't know for a few years yet, but I think he had taken a major step to rejuvenating this club with young talent. I know Gusev didn't work out, but when his comparisons were Panarin and Dadanov, I think it was a smart gamble. Go Fitz!
- bikeguy99

Gusev and Hall were both Shero moves, not sure the Zajac/Palmieri trade should be a shining example of his ability either considering the other players that went for a first. That said I am generally happy with Fitz.

I think the Islanders were just a right team at the right time for Lou. They had a very underrated young group of dmen who all fit the mold for his style, some good well rounded forwards, and obviously Trotz was available. I'm not surprised Lou took the Isles to where they are now, but I don't think he would have done it with NJ.

I think the Islanders were just a right team at the right time for Lou. They had a very underrated young group of dmen who all fit the mold for his style, some good well rounded forwards, and obviously Trotz was available. I'm not surprised Lou took the Isles to where they are now, but I don't think he would have done it with NJ.
- rmdevil313

A lot of stars definitely aligned for them. Also, Lou had to let Toews go because of his preference to pay up for bottom 6 grinders. That Isles team would be even better with Toews.

I respect Lou for sticking to his vision, but he's clearly got some weaknesses as well. Similar to Boston passing on Barzal 3 straight times, he doesn't fit into their team mentality, but there's no way in hell that they're a better team with the other guys they selected instead. Then you have Vegas and Colorado who seem to value players who can really skate

All that being said, these teams with a clear vision and team identity are still better off than the mediocre organizations who seemingly just put together a random mediocre roster of players and hope to catch lightning in a bottle.

But the cream of the crop are the teams with a clear vision/plan and have the ability to manage their assets well(TB, Col, etc).

in 2 years the islanders will be a mess
- rmccart

Heard this every season for the last four years.

No. I think Lou has committed way too much term to players well out of their prime. This is an all in season for the Isles, and the additions of Palms and Zajac sure look brilliant at the moment, but equal credit is due to Trotz. That coach is worth his weight in gold. He has them buying into a classic Devs system, and has done nothing but overachieve since the days of Nashville (if anyone remembers their cheapest 38M team that finished 3rd that reg season). I would not trade the current Devs squad for the current Isles squad and their remaining contracts. What Fits did with Hall, Coleman, Greene, Zajac/Palms, and taking a stab at Gusev, was spectacular. We won't know for a few years yet, but I think he had taken a major step to rejuvenating this club with young talent. I know Gusev didn't work out, but when his comparisons were Panarin and Dadanov, I think it was a smart gamble. Go Fitz!
- bikeguy99

Who signed Trotz?

I think the Islanders were just a right team at the right time for Lou. They had a very underrated young group of dmen who all fit the mold for his style, some good well rounded forwards, and obviously Trotz was available. I'm not surprised Lou took the Isles to where they are now, but I don't think he would have done it with NJ.
- rmdevil313

Yeah, it was Lou's time to go. I'm glad the Islanders can see some success after years of turmoil and actually amount to something. But Lou's time was over here and we needed fresh eyes on the club to turn it around.

a new post!!

so where do the Avs go from here? They were one Pelech short of winning this series. Saad, Landeskog, Soderberg UFAs. .. and that Grubauer character. Good luck. Byram is cheap and will be better next year. I don't think Erik Johnson on the IR made that much of a difference.. ?

I'd love to get Saad on Hughes' wing.

so where do the Avs go from here? They were one Pelech short of winning this series. Saad, Landeskog, Soderberg UFAs. .. and that Grubauer character. Good luck. Byram is cheap and will be better next year. I don't think Erik Johnson on the IR made that much of a difference.. ?

I'd love to get Saad on Hughes' wing.

Saad would be an asset for sure. But I think that Avs team, the players on it, believe they're really close, and Sakic basically has to make a choice on each of them.

They suffered the same problem as last year: they were undone by their lack of mental fortitude and the leaky goals. I'm starting to wonder whether or not Bednar can get them there as well. I'm not that confident in Grubauer... I know he's solid, but can he be a Chris Osgood?

I miss Lou. One thing I miss most about him is that he trims the fat off an organization. He knows an NHL player from a pretender.

Yes