New York Islanders relieve Barry Trotz as head coach

The New York Islanders dropped some stunning news Monday morning: GM Lou Lamoriello has announced that head coach Barry Trotz has been relieved as head coach.

Trotz, 59, just completed his fourth season as Islanders bench boss. They compiled a 37-35-10 record in 2021-22 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. The deck was stacked against them this season, however. While awaiting completion on construction of their new home rink, UBS Arena, the Isles opened the season on a 13-game road trip, during which they compiled a 5-6-2 record. After COVID-19 complications got some of their early games postponed, they were forced to play their final 50 games over a 99-day span. They went 24-22-4 over that period and missed the postseason by 16 points.

“It’s my role to make the best decision for the organization going forward and I believe this group of players needs a new voice, it’s in no way negative on Barry Trotz,” Lamoriello said Monday, as reported by Shannon Hogan of MSG Networks. Hogan also added that “Lou did not speak with players about this decision and did not consult with anyone to make this decision. Only Barry and owners knew about this this morning.”

Trotz had led the Islanders to the final four of the playoff bracket in the previous two seasons, both of which ended with defeats to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The Isles compiled a .587 points percentage, 13^th-best in the NHL, during Trotz’s tenure. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2018-19, his first season with the team. He previously had won it in 2015-16 as coach of the Washington Capitals.

Trotz’s 914 career coaching victories are the third-most in NHL history behind only Scotty Bowman’s 1,244 and Joel Quennevile’s 969. Trotz coached the Washington Capitals to their first and only Stanley Cup victory in 2017-18.

Trotz had signed a five-year, $20-million contract with the Islanders in June 2018. He had one year left at $4 million. What’s next for him? Should he desire to catch on immediately with a head-coaching gig, he’ll have a line of suitors around his block. The Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets already have vacancies – and Trotz is a Winnipeg native.

What was the Islanders’ reasoning for the decision? And what direction will they take with their next hire? Follow Dailyfaceoff.com for any additional details to come in this developing story.

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