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Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines/etc) | 2024-25 Summer Edition

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marcel snapshot said:
I don't think Nelson plays with enough pace at this point in his career. And he was a complete non-entity in 4 Nations, which was as close as you can get to high-level playoff hockey without actually being in the playoffs
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Not even remotely similar to playoff hockey. Nelson playing 4W for a Canadian all-star team is not in any way similar to what he can do as a 3C in NHL games. His 4N usage was ridiculously atypical for him, on top of the face that he played on a line his HC was sheltering because Kreider appeared to be in the doghouse.

He's looked good for the Isles this year.

wickedwitch said:
But again, I'm not sure he's worth the price. Also, I don't know the price.
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The price for Nelson is really hard to read. He's a NYI lifer, so there's a real chance he's 100% determined to return there in the offseason. The cap jump this year makes it more feasible for the Isles to keep him if they want (or have him return if they do rent him out).

In other words, the Islanders have little reason to not want him back. And that being the case, he could be as pure a rental as there ever was. If there's zero hope in another team signing him, the price to rent him for a couple months might not be steep at all.

A 3C that can play up could give us all kinds of options in our top 9. This year's 1st and a body (not a top prospect, an iffier one) is fine with me. And Nelson isn't the only option out there that might fit.
 
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Jags said:
Not even remotely similar to playoff hockey. Nelson playing 4W for a Canadian all-star team is not in any way similar to what he can do as a 3C in NHL games. His 4N usage was ridiculously atypical for him, on top of the face that he played on a line his HC was sheltering because Kreider appeared to be in the doghouse.

He's looked good for the Isles this year.



The price for Nelson is really hard to read. He's a NYI lifer, so there's a real chance he's 100% determined to return there in the offseason. The cap jump this year makes it more feasible for the Isles to keep him if they want (or have him return if they do rent him out).

In other words, the Islanders have little reason to not want him back. And that being the case, he could be as pure a rental as there ever was. If there's zero hope in another team signing him, the price to rent him for a couple months might not be steep at all.

A 3C that can play up could give us all kinds of options in our top 9. This year's 1st and a body (not a top prospect, an iffier one) is fine with me. And Nelson isn't the only option out there that might fit.
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Kind of lost credibility there Jags!

But I mostly agree. Small sample size with very different roles.
 
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The rosters faced in the NHL playoffs will be a lot weaker than what he faced at the 4N.

Not advocating, just sayin….

Also, for all the talk of some potential chemistry issue, I feel like the leadership group isn’t so weak that they would let a late season addition sink them as a whole. They won’t likely be adding some superstar who could come in and upset the apple cart.
 
Jags said:
Not even remotely similar to playoff hockey. Nelson playing 4W for a Canadian all-star team is not in any way similar to what he can do as a 3C in NHL games. His 4N usage was ridiculously atypical for him, on top of the face that he played on a line his HC was sheltering because Kreider appeared to be in the doghouse.

He's looked good for the Isles this year.



The price for Nelson is really hard to read. He's a NYI lifer, so there's a real chance he's 100% determined to return there in the offseason. The cap jump this year makes it more feasible for the Isles to keep him if they want (or have him return if they do rent him out).

In other words, the Islanders have little reason to not want him back. And that being the case, he could be as pure a rental as there ever was. If there's zero hope in another team signing him, the price to rent him for a couple months might not be steep at all.

A 3C that can play up could give us all kinds of options in our top 9. This year's 1st and a body (not a top prospect, an iffier one) is fine with me. And Nelson isn't the only option out there that might fit.
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Before I finished reading your post, I was thinking Mateiko and the 2025 first makes a lot of sense. Isles prospect pool is weak so getting the first plus a solid prospect would be a very enticing package. If they prefer a D, I would swap Mateiko for Muggli or Iorio.

Also, as Wicked pointed out, Nelson provides both someone who can immediately bolster the 3rd line and who can play in the top 6 credibly if needed. ROR also checks that box, and I would offer a bit more for him.
 
I would take a shot on Gourde I guess. At the right price anyway. He wouldn't be at the top of my list but there's some Cup pedigree there at least. For this group outside of the 2018 core guys there's not much of it otherwise. (Just the Calder Cup experience for a few mostly.)

With Boston's second rounder looking increasingly early they've got some decent picks to burn, even if not a stellar draft. It's a seller's market but Nelson, ROR, Gourde, Bjorkstrand, Donato, Zucker, Palmieri, Cozens, Tuch, Peterka, Zegras, Norris, Batherson...not all will move but that's a lot of names in play anyway. None of the rental forwards aside from Nelson should net a first rounder. (I'm assuming Boeser is held so VAN can try to make the playoffs.)

It would be pretty disappointing all things considered if they don't make a consequential addition up front. There's ample room for improvement over Eller/Mangiapane/Frank. Even with Leonard in the mix and perhaps Miro as an option...go get another horse that can help tip the scales in a wide open East. The team has earned it and they can afford to not pick until ~60ish or whatever. This team needs The Juice.
 
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um said:
Kind of lost credibility there Jags!

But I mostly agree. Small sample size with very different roles.
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Brain fart, but yeah, lol. Sorry bout that.

Still, his 4N deployment wasn't typical for him and doesn't compare at all to how he'd be used here. So it's not just the sample size. Using 4N as a metric is only worth mentioning at all if they're the only times they've seen Nelson play this year. His 4N play isn't in any way reflective of how he's looked for the Isles this season.

And here he'd be playing in better systems with better talent. Doesn't mean the on-ice chemistry is guaranteed to click, but he's better than Eller.
 
Ridley Simon said:
Only 3 players make sense to me (unless someone is in play that we have zero clue about):

Alex Tuch
Ryan O’Reilly
Brock Nelson
BUST

In that order
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I would add Bjorkstrand but yeah I'm in the exact same boat. All the other names would be redundant with the depth they have even outside of the current roster.
 
One name I haven't seen thrown around a whole lot that I wonder about is Charlie Coyle.

He's a bit pricey for his production this year but he has an extra year next year ($5.35 million). He seems like one of those guys you can inject anywhere and get decent results. Kind of fits the M.O.

Surely he's a better option than Scott Laughton.
 
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