Lambert Begins Life in the Fast Lane

Lane Lambert took the ice at Day 1 of
New York Islanders Training Camp
as an NHL Head Coach for the first time in his coaching career on Thursday.
By all accounts, it was a hard skate, which was to be expected with a new coach looking to set the tone.

"Lane did a great job. It was high paced, a lot of chatter and a lot of positivity," Mathew Barzal said. "You can see he's already emphasizing being aggressive and going full speed and taking pucks to the net."
Lambert is in a new role, but this is his fifth season in the organization after serving as an Associate Coach from 2018-22. Aside from a brief stint as an interim Head Coach, this is Lambert's first head coaching gig since leading the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals from 2007-11. Lambert also served as an Assistant Coach with the Washington Capitals (2014-18) and the Nashville Predators (2011-14).

Lambert
was promoted in May
to bring a new voice to the Islanders' locker room,
according to General Manager Lou Lamoriello
. The team also brought in two new assistants - John MacLean and Doug Houda - from outside the organization to serve on his staff.
"The new voice is simply my voice," Lambert said. "It's different, the way I communicate, the way I talk. There's nothing wrong with the old voice in terms of what he [Barry Trotz] did, but certainly it's different for me now. I'm a demanding, passionate guy, really, and the players know that and they respect that, and I respect them. It's a two-way street."
New coaches would usually need time to learn the players'personalities and what they each bring to the table. Lambert's familiarity with the team will be invaluable, according to the team.
"Having that familiarity off the bat is really nice," Anders Lee said. "We all played for (Lambert), and he knows our group. He's going to be able to get out of us what he needs and we'll know where he's coming from."
The Islanders are looking to return to the playoffs after missing the postseason last year, their first playoff miss in four seasons, after making the Eastern Conference Finals each of the two years prior.

Lamoriello made minimal changes to the roster, choosing to keep last year's team mostly intact outside of adding Alexander Romanov in the offseason. That decision is a testament to the organization's faith that Lambert can make the adjustments necessary to bring the team back to a deep playoff run.
The organization believes Lambert can maintain the defensive identity and structure that helped the team make those big runs while also adding more offensive firepower.
"We want to play faster and more aggressive, and that's something he harped on as he addressed us yesterday," Kyle Palmieri said. "We're going to turn it up a notch as far as being in the other team's face, and try to create a bit of a different structure through that."
Training camp is Lambert's first full opportunity to impart his new message and system to the players. By all accounts that message is clear and the Islanders are ready to listen.
"He's very articulate in what he portrays and what he sees," Brock Nelson said. "He has a message that's simple and straightforward. I think it provides you the trust and flexibility to go out there and know where you're at."