Lou Lamoriello Won't Return as Islanders President, GM for 2025-26 NHL Season

The New York Islanders are parting ways with Lou Lamoriello after seven seasons as president and general manager.

The Islanders announced Tuesday the franchise will not renew Lamoriello's contract this summer and will "immediately" begin a search for a new GM.

"The Islanders extend a heartfelt thank you to Lou Lamoriello for his extraordinary commitment over the past seven years. His dedication to the team is in line with his Hall of Fame career," the team said in a statement.

Lamoriello, 82, was hired by the Islanders in 2018. The Isles missed the playoffs this spring after finishing the 2024-25 campaign with a 35-35-12 record.

The team's .500 points percentage was the worst finish the team has had since before Lamoriello's hiring.

Lamoriello started out his tenure on Long Island by hiring Barry Trotz away from the reigning champion Washington Capitals and navigating the franchise's split from former captain John Tavares.

The Islanders earned a playoff bid that spring and opened the 2019 playoffs by sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins before getting eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

That strong start didn't lead to the playoff success the Islanders were hoping for.

The team went on two deep postseason runs under Lamoriello's tenure, in large part thanks to his acquisitions of key players like Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kyle Palmieri and extensions of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle.

Those players helped lead the Islanders to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020 and brought the team one win short of the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. But the Isles haven't made it past the first round since then.

Lamoriello's influence will still continue to shape the Isles' future, particularly through his signing of goaltender Ilya Sorokin to an eight-year deal in 2023. That contract kicked in this year and runs through the 2031-32 campaign.

Lamoriello previously served as general manager of the New Jersey Devils from 1987 to 2015. The Devils made it to five Stanley Cup Finals and won three championships over that span, and Lamoriello was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2009.

He then served as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs for three seasons prior to joining the Islanders.