Staple: Who’s left in the Islanders’ exec search? Timeline? What I’m hearing 4.0

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We’re back again for the 4.0 version of the New York Islanders executive search, with some more clarity on Lou Lamoriello’s future with the team, Ken Holland’s decision to take the Kings job over this one and whether this search is wrapping up in the near future.

As sourced with multiple people around the league, here’s what I’m hearing as of Wednesday:

• Holland will be introduced as the new Los Angeles Kings general manager on Thursday. There were plenty of reasons he didn’t say yes to the Islanders when offered their president of hockey operations (and possibly general manager) job, but when you cut right to it, Holland was offered two positions. He said no to one despite an offer of full autonomy over hockey decisions, the potential to bring in a GM if he so desired and a team that just won the draft lottery.

He said yes to the team with a president already in place above him. That should be a signal to Islanders watchers that this is a big undertaking to evaluate all aspects of Islanders hockey ops and the understanding that this may not be a quick turnaround back to being a contender. Whatever you think of Holland’s track record, especially the end of his two decades with the Detroit Red Wings, he knew what needed to be done here. And he chose another job.

• I can’t say that Canadiens VP of hockey ops Jeff Gorton is a candidate, since the Canadiens wouldn’t grant the Islanders permission to speak to him — and that doesn’t even factor in whether Gorton would be interested in the Isles job — but I can say the Isles’ interest has been keen. Gorton is one of a small handful of former GMs who fit the bill that Islanders owners Scott Malkin, John Collins and Jon Ledecky want: an experienced hand who has run teams, had success and gets what the Islanders need to do.

Perhaps things change in the next few days and Gorton is allowed to and willing to meet with the Islanders. But that doesn’t appear likely.

• I had discounted Leafs president Brendan Shanahan in my update earlier this week but have since been told not to be so fast to dismiss him. Shanahan’s contract expires June 30 and the Leafs are trying to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2002. If they get past the Panthers, that might make a Shanahan return in Toronto more likely. But if not and the MLSE board is willing to move on, there could be interest from the Islanders. Collins and Shanahan worked together at the NHL for years.

Shanahan is probably not a dual-role option for the Islanders, so ownership would have to make the call on whether it’s worth shelling out for Shanahan plus a GM — current Leafs special assistant Shane Doan, maybe? — and also whether the Leafs’ timeline for making a call on Shanahan works with the Isles’ timeline, already 23 days into their search.

A long shot, but not off the table.

• Now, to the candidates who have interviewed this week: former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and Tampa Bay Lightning AGM Mathieu Darche.

All three have pluses and minuses, but I’ve heard they are legitimate candidates. Darche might be the only current AGM with a real shot at this; a league source said his role with Tampa Bay goes beyond what a typical AGM does and touches on all aspects of the Lightning front office. Most AGMs fall into the scouting bucket, the salary cap/budget bucket or the AHL/development bucket. Darche has his hands in everything under Julien BriseBois, so that makes him a much more viable Islanders candidate than some other up-and-comers around the league.

Again, the Islanders need someone who knows what it takes to run a team and build out a front office. There may have been talk early that Malkin, Collins and Ledecky would leave no stone unturned in this search and go outside the box to find candidates, but the fact is they’ve only seriously considered five people so far in almost a month.

It would also appear that any of the three who interviewed this week would come in as GM only, with a president not yet determined. Even if, say, Collins stayed on as team president for a bit, the new hire would report to Malkin alone.

• Now, the Lou question. I’ve heard conflicting things on Lamoriello’s future, and here’s what I can say now: The perception from the outside is that Lamoriello will still be around the Islanders after his contract expires on June 30. The perception inside the organization is that Lamoriello will have no role in hockey operations going forward with a new front office, even if he’s got a title or Malkin’s ear.

As TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday, Lamoriello has talked to the Sabres about a possible role there, but nothing is imminent. Lamoriello might also be a candidate for Holland’s gig as an adviser to Colin Campbell and NHL hockey operations. Maybe a team like the Hawks comes calling about an advisory spot. Lamoriello, an Isles source said, is free to pursue any and all of these options.

Lou Lamoriello has options, including staying with the Islanders in some capacity. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

• When will we find out who gets this job? When it was on the table for Holland two weeks ago, it seemed like a fast-track timeline. He said no, Gorton wasn’t available and ownership reset with their three interviews this week.

It seems as though this is headed to a conclusion in the next week or so. The new GM has to hit the ground running: Make a call on Patrick Roy, possibly bring in new front-office hires and decide on Chris Lamoriello and the Bridgeport operation, then prepare for the NHL scouting combine June 1-7 with a group of unfamiliar scouts.

(Photo: Nick Lachance / Toronto Star via Getty Images)

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