Around the NHL 2023-24 - offseason part II

[tailfins]

Lou got them there after a long period of the Islanders being quite bad. The Islanders made the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, and from there embarked on a long stretch of losing. Here's their draft selections from 2008 on -

2008: 9th
2009: 1st
2010: 4th
2011: 5th
2012: 4th
2013: 15th
2014: 5th

Now let's look at the Islanders in 2018 when Lou arrived. Josh Bailey was still there. Tavares left when Lou got there. Niederreiter turned into Clutterbuck, Strome turned into Eberle, Reinhart into Barzal and Beauvillier, Pulock is a solid top 4 D, and Dal Colle was a bust. Still, we're talking about 5 top 9 forwards all of whom were on the Islanders roster when Lou got there, plus Pulock. Throw in Sorokin and Pelech and Lee and almost everything the Islanders had was from the previous regime. That's how these things work, and it's the same reason why the Devils have made the playoffs twice in 12 years, and why the Islanders might be looking at a similar stretch in the next decade. They have absolutely not drafted well enough to fill their holes on their roster year after year.

The 2018-2019 Islanders were expected to be terrible. They had missed the playoffs two years in a row, had given up the most goals in the league, and just lost their best player.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1025155/2019/06/14/predictions-review-what-i-got-right-and-wrong-about-the-2018-19-nhl-season/

Instead, they finished with 103 points, allowed the fewest goals in the league, and won a round in the playoffs. That wasn't due to good players getting a year older. Sorokin was a back-up on their 2021 ECF team. He's meaningful now obviously, but wasn't a reason for the turnaround.

Bringing in a new coach a players who fit a specific style had real impacts on the team.

Lou is clearly holding on to veterans too long. He probably overpaid in picks and contract for his acquisitions. But, he also clearly was a big piece of the Islanders success these past 6 years - it's not just natural progression.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Is the Blackwood/Vanecek era over already??

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827071641589051394

 

[My3Sons]

Yap. And even if you was drafted. You are ex kid and now you are a millionaire. May be one or two tears. NHLer who was traded? Different teams have different rules. Most teams still ask for suits. overall I really cant live with this "problem", It is not problem. And if we are talking about professional work - it still help for people to start doing thing after thing after thing to focus on the job. I would take phones out from game day if I would be lead manager but I understand that we cant do such a thing in today reality. But I would. I would take my phone away from myself.

That’s a good point. I hadn’t even thought of a dress code. I imagine it’s more relaxed in today’s world but you still see players entering arenas wearing suits. Most of them seem to embrace it (for some for thr better for some for the worse) but I’m sure there are at least a few who find it uncomfortable and distracting. Especially in a cold climate in a hotel. Ultimately these are NHLPA questions and I guess the union is ok with it.

As an aside I used to work with a firm in the same building with one of thr biggest most expensive law firms in the world. All their guys and women were pretty conservative in terms of what they wore and how they groomed themselves. With the exception of one guy. He looked like Gregg Allman. Really long hair and beard. I always thought to myself that guy must be the best lawyer in the world to get away whth that at that firm. I know cool story old man now go yell at a cloud

 

[Richer's Ghost]

oh boy...

 

[Devils731]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827073142172402034

 

[Blackjack]

Just wait until these hockey media members find out that the players are required to wear specific clothes to work. On top of that, the management tells them the color those clothes have to be.

They'll go crazy when they find out the players have very rigid rules on the size their clothes have to be at work. If something is too long or big, the player gets kicked out of work.

They'll be completely dumbfounded when they realize that if the players do not have their shirts tucked in at work, they get penalized.

(sports media is lowest common denominator. I found it funny that they comment on this while having their profile picture being them in work mandated shirt and tie.)

I work in a very conservative industry with rules about dress, and there are no limits on hair length. It can be any length you want as long as it is groomed and neat.

When a players leaves the rink for the day, they change out of their uniforms and wear whatever the f*** they want. Duclair cannot just change back into his old hair when he leaves the rink. You can feel however you want about it, but don’t act like it’s the same thing.

What an asinine comparison.

 

[Cheddabombs]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827073142172402034

 

[Devils731]

I’ll wait until I see what SJ gave but I was having trouble seeing how NJ could help a win now Nashville team without hurting their own now.

SJ or Chicago, teams not looking to win now, always made more sense as a partner, I think.

 

[Blackjack]

Of course I dip my toe into the Duclair debate the moment Askarov gets traded. FML.

 

[Bcap88]

 

[Guadana]

Sharks acquire Yaroslav Askarov, F Nolan Burke 2025 3rd for Edstrom, VGK 1st, and G Chrona

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[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Mike Grier hive stand up

 

[Guadana]

Sharks acquire Yaroslav Askarov, F Nolan Burke 2025 3rd for Edstrom, VGK 1st, and G Chrona​

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Edstrom is nice depth piece, but overall its not that fun that we didnt do this trade.

Grier made awesome work in a very short term. Unbelievable. If they will have top-5\7 pick next year - boy, oh boy.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I’ll wait until I see what SJ gave but I was having trouble seeing how NJ could help a win now Nashville team without hurting their own now.

SJ or Chicago, teams not looking to win now, always made more sense as a partner, I think.

Devils probably would've had to given up Mercer to come even close, we don't have our 2025 first. So no dice

 

[Bcap88]

My guess is the first was a sticking point

 

[Rhodes 81]

Very funny that Askarov ended up with Blackwood and Vanecek

 

[AfroThunder396]

Grier has been doing fine as GM and gets too much hate, IMO. Don't understand why people criticize his NHL roster moves when they're clearly neck-deep in a rebuild.

They were a barren wasteland with absolutely nothing good going on when he took over. Now they have a pretty nice nucleus of quality prospects to start building around.

The folks in the media talking about SJ's NHL squad are hilariously off-base to me. Who gives a shit whether they win 19 games or 23 games? They are no where close to competing by design and that's the way it should be.

 

[Devs3cups]

Have to assume Casey++ could've got this done maybe? Oh well.

 

[OmNomNom]

griers done well - young core, but so much potential to turn it around quick

 

[Guadana]

Grier has been doing fine as GM and gets too much hate, IMO. Don't understand why people criticize his NHL roster moves when they're clearly neck-deep in a rebuild.

They were a barren wasteland with absolutely nothing good going on when he took over. Now they have a pretty nice nucleus of quality prospects to start building around.

The folks in the media talking about SJ's NHL squad are hilariously off-base to me. Who gives a shit whether they win 19 games or 23 games? They are no where close to competing by design and that's the way it should be.

Grier did great for rebuilding team.

 

[Brodeur]

That deal makes a ton of sense for San Jose. They had an excess of prospect centers with Celebrini/Smith now under contract. Nashville probably wanted a blue chip center prospect but nobody would be offering that.

Nashville is up against the cap, so I don't think they could have taken an NHL piece back without a corresponding move. Unfortunately our best prospects are wingers which didn't fit Nashville's needs. Preds have their own version of Seamus Casey in Ryan Ufko.

 

[Nubmer6]

Devils probably would've had to given up Mercer to come even close, we don't have our 2025 first. So no dice

I would have given Mercer + Daws.

 

[Billdo]

Grier did a good job rebuilding somewhat quickly. They've got a lot of high end prospects and whoever takes over for him will have a good club.

 

[Devs3cups]

I would have given Mercer + Daws.

Probably would've been comfortable with Casey + Daws + 2nd or 3rd, but Mercer would probably be too much. I feel like he's getting very underrated around here because of last season and I'm pretty sure he'll bounce back as soon as next year and be an extremely valuable 30-30 type player for us.

As much as a prospect of Askarov's quality is a very nice add, I still feel there's a lot of uncertainty with top goalie prospects.

 

[HBK27]

Have to assume Casey++ could've got this done maybe? Oh well.

Yup. Not sure how easily we beat this offer.

Vegas' 2025 1st rounder is more valuable than our 2026 1st, plus Nashville also got a 19-year old former 1st round pick (albeit at 32 overall).

We would've had to include something painful to top this deal. It's also one that we didn't need to make as we are a win-now team (even with a window just opening) and this would've likely done nothing to help us this season, whereas the Sharks can be patient with Askarov.