Right now a bet on Islanders is a bet on Lou Lamoriello

Going into the offseason, the Islanders were a team NHL bettors had circled. After the Islanders failed to meet their lofty expectations in 2021-22, bookmakers installed them as 35/1 outsiders for next season, which seemed like a potential buy-low opportunity on a team that was a trendy Stanley Cup pick just 10 months ago.

Though the Islanders surprised the sport by firing future Hall of Fame coach Barry Trotz and replacing him with his right-hand man, Lane Lambert, there were still reasons to be cautiously optimistic going into October.

The team’s foundation, which starts with the terrific goaltending tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, was largely intact, and there was room for improvement at the top of a roster that was calling out for another game-breaker to pair with Mathew Barzal. The Islanders have a strong supporting cast in place — especially after addressing the hole on their second-pair with the acquisition of Alexander Romanov — they just needed to find a talisman.

And it was not a bad time to go big-game hunting. Johnny Gaudreau was a free agent. Kevin Fiala, Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Miller, Max Pacioretty and Patrick Kane were all rumored to be on the trading block. It was expected that Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was going to be aggressive in his attempt to add some star power to a lineup that was crying out for it.

With those expectations came a bit of a song-and-dance for bettors who believed the Islanders could be a post-hype sleeper. Should the Islanders land a big fish, their price would likely shorten from the 35/1 range, and your bet would have some serious legs. But if the Islanders failed, well did you want to be left holding the bag on an 84-point team that didn’t get better?

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One by one, the names began to come off the board. Fiala to the Kings. DeBrincat to the affable Senators. Pacioretty to the Hurricanes. Miller — who was allegedly close to being traded to the Islanders at the draft — is now likely to stay put in Vancouver. Who knows with Kane? Then there was Gaudreau, who spurned both the Devils and Islanders with a surprising pivot to the Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, everyone around the Islanders got better.
All of a sudden, a team with real sleeper potential was, well, asleep.

The offseason is not even close to over, and the Islanders could still improve with a trade for Kane, Miller or perhaps Vladimir Tarasenko, but the options have significantly dwindled and the team has remained radio silent.

A week ago, the Islanders looked to be an appealing play at 35/1. That’s a good price on a team that is really just one piece — albeit a significant one — away from being a contender.

For now, there is very little betting appeal with the Islanders which means that if you’re still keen on backing them, you can — like their general manager — remain patient. Bettors will likely flock to more buzzy teams, such as the Senators, Red Wings or Kings, at bigger prices rather than backing the Islanders right now. So it’s possible the number on the Islanders actually will drift rather than shorten.

Of course, Lamoriello can change all of that with one fell swoop. Because right now a bet on the Islanders is a bet on Lamoriello. A decade ago, that would have seemed a sharp play. But now, it’s anybody’s guess