January 19, 2006
Wang May Seek Laviolette's Return To Long Island
Newsday's Alan Hahn is reporting that the Islanders are interested in talking to ex-Orlando Magic GM John Weisbrod about their vacant GM job, something that Isles owner Charles Wang seems to think might trigger another possibility:
Weisbrod not only has a connection to Lamoriello, which is enough of a resume-booster, but also has close ties to Carolina Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette. And, according to several persons with knowledge of the situation, that is the foundation of a second dream scenario for the Islanders. If Steve Tambellini and Brent Sutter don't work out as a GM/coach tandem, another option is Weisbrod as GM and Laviolette possibly being lured back to Long Island as coach and director of player personnel.
Laviolette, who was fired by the Islanders in May 2003, is under contract with Carolina through the end of the season. He has the Hurricanes (31-10-4) atop the NHL going into Thursday night's game here against the Islanders. He's also the head coach of Team USA in the upcoming Winter Games.
Why Laviolette would even entertain an idea like that while Mike Milbury remained with the organization is beyond me. In any case, Laviolette has the Hurricanes set to do some serious damage in the playoffs, positioning him for the biggest payday of his career.
I know one thing: I'm sure Laviolette, who did nothing for the franchise except get it to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in recent memory, has to be smiling this morning.
What man wouldn't be after finding out the girl that dumped you wants you back? Something tells me that's enough for Laviolette, and he won't want to make a return trip to the Island.
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What's interesting is that one of the rumors was that Wang had Milbury fire Laviolette, that it wasn't just another Milbury move. The main reason was that Wang allegedly didn't like the way Laviolette treated the players. While just a rumor, it's enough to think Milbury or not, Laviolette might be very weary coming back to LI.
Posted by:
at January 19, 2006 08:20 AM
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