New York Islanders promote Lane Lambert to head coach

The New York Islanders are promoting one of Barry Trotz’s long-time assistants as his replacement.

According to Frank Seravalli, Lane Lambert has been promoted to head coach of the Islanders.

Lambert has worked with Trotz for more than a decade, dating back to the 2011-12 season with the Nashville Predators. After Trotz was let go by the Predators, Lambert was part of the coaching staff that was hired by the Washington Capitals. The two won the Stanley Cup together in 2018 and then left for the Islanders immediately after.

Since joining the Islanders for the 2018-19 season, Lambert has held the title of associate coach, while he was an assistant coach with Trotz in Nashville and Washington. Lambert served as New York’s head coach while Trotz was away from the team due to personal reasons back in January.

The Islanders came into the 2021-22 season as Stanley Cup contenders after reaching the final four in back-to-back years. A combination of a month-long road trip to start the season and some struggles with COVID-19 played a role in a disappointing season for the Islanders, as they finished outside of the playoffs with a 37-35-10 record.

There’s no indication as to whether the Islanders spoke to anybody else about their vacant coaching job.

“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,” Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “In my opinion, he is the right person to coach this team.”