Lamoriello speaks out about Isles' offseason, believes his team got better
Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs can definitely speak to the fact that GM Lou Lamoriello is not what he once was. Whether it be age catching up to him or his rival GMs around him getting better and sharper, Lamoriello has begun to show weaknesses which have not always been there.
After he and AGM Mark Hunter left the Leafs' prospect cupboards pretty bare, creating a gap in the prospect pool and a ton of extra work for his successor Kyle Dubas, Lamoriello moved onto Long Island, where the effects of his reign are now being felt on the Island as well.
On Saturday, Lamoriello had a chance to speak with the media regarding the upcoming season and the lackluster offseason the Isles have had thus far. Among the main messages Lamoriello wished to send, it was that the Isles can still very much compete in the Metropolitan Division, but at this point, their number one competitor is themselves. He also feels as though Alexander Romanov will help them immensely this season.
"Everybody gets better, either by addition or internally. In our case, at this point, internally is where we have to get better. We did add, in my opinion, a top-five defenseman, a left-hand shot we needed, and we feel very good about that. We have to compete against ourselves more than worry about what the other people are doing."
The Isles played their way to a 5th place finish in the Metro last season and 20th in the overall league standings with 84 points. Lamoriello's club finished 16 points back of the Washington Capitals last season, with the Caps finishing with 100 points to lock down the final Wild Card spot in the East. Can the addition of Romanov combined with a higher compete level from the team help the Isles to win an extra 8 games this season and compete for a playoff spot? I'm not sure Romanov really moves the needle that much, but we'll have to wait and see.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 27 | 219 ANSWERS Lamoriello speaks out about Isles' offseason, believes his team got better Do the Isles have any chance of making the playoffs this season? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 20.5 % |
| No | 128 | 58.4 % |
| Maybe, but goaltending will have to be elite | 46 | 21 % |
| List of polls | ||
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