Lou Lamoriello has a earned a reputation as an old-school mind around the NHL front office and that mentality comes with a very specific set of rules.
One of the major components of Lamoriello’s rules is targeted toward players’ numbers. One of the most notorious is that he does not like players (Other than star players) to wear high numbers. Islanders reporter Arthur Staple revealed some of the players that will and won’t be affected by the changes.
The player that still remains a question mark is Mathew Barzal. It has been rumoured in the past that Lamoriello doesn’t like players wearing the number 13, and that was Barzal’s number in his rookie year. Star players often get exemptions from the rules, but in only his second year, who knows if Barzal will qualify.
He has continued to wear 13 in his promo spots, so it seems like he might make it through the offseason with his jersey unscathed.
