Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2023-24: Hotel California

[Osakahaus]

Not sure if I would pursue him. But what do you think of C-Norris from Ottawa. Here is a guy who in the last 2 years only played 58 games do to shoulder injury. He was the clear #2 guy with Ottawa and gave him a big contract. But now it seems Pinto has clearly taken the #2 Center spot in Ottawa. I heard they may want to move him to get that salary off their hands. I'm sure his value is low. But worried about the shoulder and his ability to stay healthy

Pinto is a better pick IMO, and fills a much needed role for the islanders at the end. Pageau could be a good person to swap back, but since salary is involved then it becomes tricky

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

sign a value-free agent looking for a bounce-back year to a one-year deal, i.e. Bertuzzi, Zucker, Barbanov, Beauvillier, Rosolvic, Kapanen, etc., and then all the cap should go to overpay for Marchessault and Debrusk.

The odds of the Isles getting even one of those players is very small. It's why it's difficult just to sell off a bunch of players like that. It's video game logic.

 

[SI]

He’s toast when it comes to his game and it’s clearly visible but if Lou is still the GM, I can fully see him coming back as the 13F and playing 50 games or whatever he has left just so he can get to 1k then retire right after the season ends. Lou would bring back Randy McKay if he saw he was at 1399 and needed 1 more to get to 1400 even though he hasn’t played since before Scion was a car company.

Where is this coming from - Lou did not extend the same courtesy to Josh Bailey -
If Bailey finishes his final year, then he would have passed Trottier and Potvin for most games played as an Islander - he was 6 away from Potvin.

 

[SI]

The odds of the Isles getting even one of those players is very small. It's why it's difficult just to sell off a bunch of players like that. It's video game logic.

How so?

GM needs to shake up the roster - one way to do it is to clear cap space?
Then use that cap space and dive into the free agency market. That is no different than what Trotz did with the Preds last offseason.

In the case, I presented, 2 top 6 F's and one top 9.
I bring up Marchessault because Roy was his coach back in the Q.
I also mention that the Isles will need to overpay.

And are you suggesting, the Islanders do not have the ability to sign any free agents, ever?

 

[doublechili]

I've mentioned Marchessault myself, but a problem with him is the term he'll be looking for at 33 years old. And then what will he be like as he gets to the back end of the contract? Somehow the GM needs to improve the team and get younger. We need the GM and the scouts to have a great summer. And maybe get lucky too.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

And are you suggesting, the Islanders do not have the ability to sign any free agents, ever?

I love this place.

 

[SI]

I've mentioned Marchessault myself, but a problem with him is the term he'll be looking for at 33 years old. And then what will he be like as he gets to the back end of the contract? Somehow the GM needs to improve the team and get younger. We need the GM and the scouts to have a great summer. And maybe get lucky too.

He'll be 34 in December, so signing anything more than 3 seasons will be risky, but look how productive Pavelski is and Marchy reminds me a lot of Pavelski.

For me, I like what he would bring to the PP with 13 on the half wall and Marchessault in that Palmieri spot.

If not free agency, then it will have to be a trade - Zegras and Kyrou come up as well as Pinto and Buch.

 

[IslesNorway]

The last thing this team needs is another mid-30s player with lots of term. Marchessault is a good player, but he is looking for his last big payday and it would be totally hopeless to try and hget rid of the likes of Lee, Pageau and Palmieri only to replace them with another player in the same age bracket signed to a 5 year deal (which is what he'll get from some team, he will not sign a two or three year deal).

If you look at the season as a whole and ask yourself which players have not performed up to the standards required, and then look at their age and contract status to see if there is hope for improvement next year. There is serious need for an overhaul in the summer to get rid of dead meat and hopefully improve at the same time. It will be hard, but it must be done.

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Yeah, I've always been a big fan of Marchessault, but on an already aging roster, signing a 33 year old to a multi year contract at a big number is not the way to go.

 

[crashthenet]

The semi - blow-up option - no trading of any player with an NTC.

Lee - buy out 4.15 AAV savings
Nelson - trade for futures 6 AAV savings (1st and a prospect)
Palmieri - trade for futures 5 AAV savings (2nd or 3rd)
Pageau @ 50% - retention - 2.5 AAV savings (2nd or 3rd)
Keep Blueline and Goalies

87.675 CAP - this would give the Isles exactly 23m to spend - Without trading anyone from this roster how would you build a 22 or 23 man roster? Find a D man, LW 4th liner, extra F's, and 4 Top 6 wingers. Would love to see some ideas? Who wants to play? Also, you can undo any of the buyouts or trades above

Forwards

1. ??? - Barzal - ???
2. ??? - Horvat - ???
3. Engvall - Cizikas - Holmstrom
4. ??? - Maclean - Fasching

Defense

1. Romanov - Dobson
2. Pelech - Pulock
3. Bolduc - Mayfield
4. ???

Goalies

1. Sorokin
2. Varlamov

I'd start with two players. Pageau and Pelech. Are they tradeable and what's the return?

Assumptions - Zeke centers the 3rd line and McLean is a 4th liner. Center or wing. Reilly is retained. Fasching, Aho and Gauthier are cast into the abyss.

 

[Strummergas]

I’d hang on to Palms, unless it’s for an upgrade, eg top-line winger. Let him ride out his contract.

Agreed, unless you get a really good return for him. He's had a decent season and is on the last year of his current deal. They can always move him at the deadline if they're not in playoff contention next year. I feel the same about Nelson.

 

[Throttle]

The odds of the Isles getting even one of those players is very small. It's why it's difficult just to sell off a bunch of players like that. It's video game logic.

The arena, the practice facility, the great schools, the beaches (when players go home for the summer), it’s a Nirvana Island.

 

[Torrey Redux]

f***ing love Matt Martin. Has been an absolutely warrior for most of the past decade.

That said, he's done. He was never a scorer, but what he added physcially was invaluable. However now he's not even checking/grinding like he used to so he's basically done as an NHL player.

The only way he should come back is for the vet minimum, but realistically the team should approach Martin and see if he's interested in transitioning to the front office (like Eric Cairns did). To me he should be a part of the organization - Just not on the ice.

Agreed, he deserves a spot somewhere in the org, but, unfortunately, if that scenario comes to pass it probably means that Lou is still around and that's too high of a price to pay.

 

[leeroggy]

There is serious need for an overhaul in the summer to get rid of dead meat and hopefully improve at the same time. It will be hard, but it must be done.

Dead wood, not dead meat . . . you gave me flashbacks to The Karate Kid and Daniel-san needs to stay an Isles fan!

 

[miscs75]

Where is this coming from - Lou did not extend the same courtesy to Josh Bailey -
If Bailey finishes his final year, then he would have passed Trottier and Potvin for most games played as an Islander - he was 6 away from Potvin.

Bailey was also under contract at $5m and the team was over the cap with him in the lineup. Martin will be a UFA and I’m sure will stay at league minimum if offered. Different situations. If they brought Josh in next season then you know Lou is doing him a favor for accolades.

 

[Tahoeblue]

Yeah, I've always been a big fan of Marchessault, but on an already aging roster, signing a 33 year old to a multi year contract at a big number is not the way to go.

Totally agree. Thoughts on Debrusk and what his contract may look like? A little younger and a LW. Also looking for a big payday. Usually not a fan of UFA's but if Lou is going to continue to roll it back, his age may fit the window of other players. Cap gymnastics will be needed for sure this summer.

 

[Throttle]

The Isles are not a charity. If Martin wants to continue his playing career for whatever reason, then it should not be with the Isles.

The Isles need to upgrade his role/cap hit with a serviceable NHL player, not AHL fodder.

 

[miscs75]

The Isles are not a charity. If Martin wants to continue his playing career for whatever reason, then it should not be with the Isles.

The Isles need to upgrade his role/cap hit with a serviceable NHL player, not AHL fodder.

The former backup goalie turned GM and New England boys club say otherwise. Remember when Dunham was the goalie coach yet was less visible then Pierre Engvall in a board battle?

 

[Throttle]

The former backup goalie turned GM and New England boys club say otherwise. Remember when Dunham was the goalie coach yet was less visible then Pierre Engvall in a board battle?

Are we really comparing how the Isles are run under Lou/Malkin vs Snow/Wang? That’s like shopping at Walmart vs Nordstrom.

 

[periferal]

Yeah, I've always been a big fan of Marchessault, but on an already aging roster, signing a 33 year old to a multi year contract at a big number is not the way to go.

This point is well taken, but it begs the question...

Are we still trying to win a Cup with this core, or are we starting a rebuild?

Because if you don't want a proven 30 goal scorer with amazing character on a team that struggles to score because he's 33 then what do you want? Stamkos? Reinhart? Guentzel? Pavelski? Toffoli? Duchene? All of those guys are going to get a long-term deal taking them into their mid/late 30's...If they're not already there.

And let's be honest...All of those guys would help the Isles, but not enough to fix all the issues here and...None of them are signing here. They're going to have equal offers on the open market from teams that project to win more in the short term.

This is going to be a real "come to jesus" moment for many Islanders fans out there this offseason when all of these "fun" projections about who we might sign or trade for never come to pass, and Lou once again resigns his own UFA's to long term deals forcing him to dump more desperately needed draft picks just to solve the salary cap issues he created.

Then next Fall basically the same team comes back and 1 year from now we're missing the playoffs again. The "youth care" on this team of Sorokin, Barzal, Dobson, and Horvat isn't getting us to the playoffs right now, so that should tell you they aren't good enough on their own.

Lou has turned this organization into someone with massive credit card debt who keeps taking out new credit cards to pay the old ones. At some point we need to bite the bullet and admit the window has closed on this group, and the focus must be to get a new young and more talented core in here. To do that requires keeping picks and using them...And to absolutely stop resigning average (or truly bad) players to long-term contracts that aren't worth it so you get up against the the cap, and instead have to trade picks away just to be cap compliant. If anything the cap should be used as a weapon to get picks from other teams at this point.

I know there are some unbending optimists out there right now, but I'm hoping we can become realists about how far this team is from Cup contention, and the very hard decisions that need to be made to get them back (which won't be any time soon). A more realistic offseason of Lou resigning, Martin/Clutterbuck/Aho/Reilly, trading two more 2nd round picks to dump Pageau's next 2 contract years, and then adding one more middle-level talent would be totally useless. It will only prolong the cap pain into the future and get us nowhere closer to playoff contention, much less Cup contention.

If you want big results then you need big changes. This should be the offseason to do that. Three straight seasons of being average and getting worse should be enough already.

 

[The Real JT]

Totally agree. Thoughts on Debrusk and what his contract may look like? A little younger and a LW. Also looking for a big payday. Usually not a fan of UFA's but if Lou is going to continue to roll it back, his age may fit the window of other players. Cap gymnastics will be needed for sure this summer.

Assuming we shed salary in the offseason, I’m on board for adding DeBrusk, depending on the price of course.

On a complete different topic, is there anyone here with good photoshop skills? If so, can you put Holmstrom’s face on a milk carton? His March stats are 0 goals and 1 assist in 11 games.

 

[Throttle]

or maybe the ‘youth core’ ain’t that good? If they can’t step up NOW (or the past several weeks), then why are they so special to build around?

Each team peeled back the onion on ‘talent’ such as Duschene only realizing you ain’t winning with him as your primary or go to player. Only took until he was 33 and 4 teams to figure that out…

 

[miscs75]

Are we really comparing how the Isles are run under Lou/Malkin vs Snow/Wang? That’s like shopping at Walmart vs Nordstrom.

Based on these comments, people think Lou is like Dollar General based on the nonsense cries. Then again, we have a section full of People of Walmart characters who Ledecky lets the team cater to.

 

[Strickland]

x.com

x.com

Could the team use an infusion of youth and skill and speed like that?

NOPE we got Romanov. And the insane thing is, people here will still defend the deal. Wild stuff.

 

[miscs75]

x.com

x.com

Could the team use an infusion of youth and skill and speed like that?

NOPE we got Romanov. And the insane thing is, people here will still defend the deal. Wild stuff.

We have this kid and look how it turned out:


Romanov is one of the last moves I’d cry about. Romanov is a solid defenseman and it really didn’t cost that much. Hes 23 and is a solid top 4 LHD. Drafting Wahlstrom over Farabee is the bigger mistake.