Islanders News: Trotz, Lehner, and Greiss won some awards

Perhaps it’s because I was a little under the weather and foggy last night, but, dare I say, the NHL Award Show was actually halfway decent?

Some of the bits were a little corny, but Kenan Thompson was still pretty funny, and Thomas Middleditch’s bit as an eccentric Western Canadian minor league hockey reporter interviewing the Hart Trophy finalists got a lot better by the end. It was nice contrast to the three more reserved NHL stars.

Not to mention, Carey Price coming from backstage to surprise Anderson Whitehead? I was crying like a baby. What a moment.

But the biggest highlight(s) of the night, around these parts, was three members of the organization collecting some hardware.

Islanders News

• Captain Anders Lee’s preference is to remain an Islander. [am New York]
• Before the Award Show last night, Arthur Staple published a Q&A session he held with Barry Trotz about the Isles’ “buy-in” and what to expect next season. [The Athletic]
• One of the things that came up in the interview was what the corps behind the bench will look like, and Trotz left it open. Later that day, the team announced it brought in Jim Hiller, who ran the Maple Leafs power play under Mike Babcock. [LHH | Islanders]
• This isn’t exactly Islanders, but MSG Networks will broadcast New York Lizards lacrosse games this summer. [Lizards]

NHL Awards Show

• Robin Lehner did not win the Vezina Trophy, but he did take home the Masterton Trophy for his perseverance. It was well-deserved and his speech was great. [LHH | NHL | Islanders]
• Lehner and Thomas Greiss both shared the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against. [LHH | NHL]
• And Barry Trotz won the Jack Adams Trophy as top coach for the second time in his career. [LHH | NHL | Islanders]
• Here’s the local paper’s story on all the Islanders’ hardware. [Newsday]
• Lehner cherished his nomination for the Masterton Trophy perhaps more than his nomination for the Vezina, and knows his sobriety is a factor in determining his next contract. But he wants to stay. [TSN]
• GM Lou Lamoriello finished fifth in the voting for GM of the Year. [NHL]
• The full voting breakdown is here via the PHWA. Very interesting to see who voted for who.
• The Blues continued their surreal Stanley Cup celebration at the Awards Show last night. [NHL]

Elsewhere

• The NHL expects to detail its rule changes some time after the general managers meet in Vancouver today. [NHL]
• The Ducks have officially bought out the contract of Corey Perry, making him a UFA. [NHL]
• It looks like Alex Edler will stay with the Canucks after all. [NHL]
• Good thing they did, because the options for quality defensemen out there are dwindling. [Nucks Misconduct]
• The Hurricanes aren’t optimistic about signing either goalie Petr Mrazek or Curtis McElhinney, according to their GM Don Waddell. [NHL]
• Roberto Luongo is close to deciding what his path for next season is, whether he plays with the Panthers or retires or goes on LTIR. [NHL]
• The Canadiens and Montreal will host the 2020 NHL Draft. The last time Montreal hosted the Draft was 2009, when the Islanders selected a certain snake 1st overall. [EOTP]
• Go behind the scenes of the draft floor with Craig Custance. [The Athletic]