This won’t come as much of a surprise, but Lou Lamoriello has hired Jacques Lemaire once again. According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, Lemaire has been hired as a special assignment coach with the New York Islanders, while Andrew Gross of Newsday adds that Ken Gernander has been hired as a scout.
Lemaire and Lamoriello have a long history together, including in this very same situation in Toronto before the latter moved on this spring. Often credited with perfecting the neutral zone trap, Lemaire and Lamoriello built a legacy with the New Jersey Devils that culminated in a Stanley Cup in 1995 but would stretch far into the future. A two-time winner of the Jack Adams award as Coach of the Year, Lemaire has 617 regular season victories in his coaching career and last coached under Lamoriello with the Devils in 2011.
Though there is no threat to head coach Barry Trotz, the Islanders are clearly trying to build a different culture in the front office and behind the bench. The team has brought in experienced, veteran names at almost every position and will try to complete a similar rebuild to the one experienced in Toronto recently. With a superstar talent in Mathew Barzal already on the roster, and a promising draft class this June it might not be long before the Islanders are back in playoff contention.