All indications on Tuesday were the Kings were close to hiring Ken Holland as their general manager, meaning the former Red Wings and Oilers GM won’t be fellow Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello’s successor with the Islanders.

Tuesday marked three weeks since the Islanders announced they would not renew Lamoriello’s contract after he spent seven seasons as the team’s president/GM.

It’s believed the Islanders went into this search, which is being conducted by operating partner John Collins, hoping to pry Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, the former Rangers GM, out of Montreal. Unsuccessful so far on that front, the Islanders also were intrigued by Holland, who won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and reached the Cup Final last season with the Oilers, his last of five years in Edmonton.

Instead, the search goes on.

With Holland heading to Los Angeles, the Islanders could pivot to former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, who is serving as a Kings senior adviser. Or, even before former Kings GM Rob Blake and that organization parted ways a week ago Tuesday, there was a belief that the Islanders might want to talk to him if he was available.

Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche is on the Islanders’ list of candidates as well, though it’s not believed ownership currently is strongly inclined to hire a first-time GM.

So it’s not a surprise that the Islanders might have interest in former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who was in charge in Columbus from 2013-2024 and has a strong record in the NHL Draft.

What is not clear at this point is whether the Islanders will hire one person as president/GM or separate the roles.

And, of course, coach Patrick Roy’s fate remains in the balance. He will have to interview with the new GM for his job.

Hanging over all of this is Lamoriello, whose contract runs through June 30.

While Lamoriello is not a part of the search for his successor, he is still advising management on other topics. Given his tight relationship with majority owner Scott Malkin, it’s not inconceivable that he will be retained as an adviser past June 30. That could make for an uncomfortable situation for whoever is hired.

The Islanders’ GM job should be an attractive one, given that the team holds the first pick in the NHL Draft on June 27 and that UBS Arena is a state-of-the-art facility that should be attractive to free agents.

But Holland clearly preferred the situation in Los Angeles. Whether that was just a personal choice or a sign that there are things about the Islanders that are giving candidates pause remains to be seen.