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

[The Real JT]

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.

It’s sad to have peaked at nine years old. Wahlstrom is the Islanders’ version of Macaulay Culkin.

As for Romanov, we’re in complete agreement. I’ve probably made a similar post a number of times, but whenever I see shit thrown Romanov’s way, I feel obligated to respond. Other than convincing Trotz to be the coach, the trade for Romanov was the best thing Lou has done in his tenure with the Isles.

 

[miscs75]

It’s sad to have peaked at nine years old. Wahlstrom is the Islanders’ version of Macaulay Culkin.

As for Romanov, we’re in complete agreement. I’ve probably made a similar post a number of times, but whenever I see shit thrown Romanov’s way, I feel obligated to respond. Other than convincing Trotz to be the coach, the trade for Romanov was the best thing Lou has done in his tenure with the Isles.

At the time of the trades; Horvat, Pageau and Palmieri all worked out well for this team and brought a missing element. Pageau fell off a cliff this season and Palmieri is playing for his life right now. Horvat is a huge missing piece which can possibly make Nelson expendable as well for the right return.
I swear this fanbase is still complaining about the Ryan Smyth trade that returned nothing for each team except a bunch of minor leaguers. Romanov and Dobson are the 2. To build around. Crying about Nazur is a huge what if because we don’t know who they would have actually taken with that pick.

 

[Throttle]

It’s sad to have peaked at nine years old. Wahlstrom is the Islanders’ version of Macaulay Culkin.

As for Romanov, we’re in complete agreement. I’ve probably made a similar post a number of times, but whenever I see shit thrown Romanov’s way, I feel obligated to respond. Other than convincing Trotz to be the coach, the trade for Romanov was the best thing Lou has done in his tenure with the Isles.

Bc ‘filthy’ is more important than winning.

 

[Glorydays22]

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

I prefer Pinto as well But I don't think Ottawa will move him. I think they are more willing to move a guy like Norris who has a huge salary and contract left.

 

[miscs75]

Bc ‘filthy’ is more important than winning.

Speaking of filthy, you have people who want him on this roster. Might as well get Evander Kane and Big Buff for the team morale too.

 

[Osakahaus]

At the time of the trades; Horvat, Pageau and Palmieri all worked out well for this team and brought a missing element. Pageau fell off a cliff this season and Palmieri is playing for his life right now. Horvat is a huge missing piece which can possibly make Nelson expendable as well for the right return.
I swear this fanbase is still complaining about the Ryan Smyth trade that returned nothing for each team except a bunch of minor leaguers. Romanov and Dobson are the 2. To build around. Crying about Nazur is a huge what if because we don’t know who they would have actually taken with that pick.

i have never heard anyone complain about the Ryan Smyth trade

 

[miscs75]

i have never heard anyone complain about the Ryan Smyth trade

Oh people were because they traded a 1st round pick for a guy who left after the season. People complain about the Pageau trade like the guy wasn’t a warrior in the playoffs and a massive reason why the team made it to the ECF both years, the 2nd run being injured and barely able to hold a hockey stick.

 

[periferal]

View attachment 844434
Speaking of filthy, you have people who want him on this roster. Might as well get Evander Kane and Big Buff for the team morale too.

 

[doublechili]

i have never heard anyone complain about the Ryan Smyth trade

Well, Ryan Smyth for one wasn't very happy about it.

 

[Osakahaus]

I prefer Pinto as well But I don't think Ottawa will move him. I think they are more willing to move a guy like Norris who has a huge salary and contract left.

for the islanders thats still a bad move in the making

 

[miscs75]

Please bring him back too. He can play on a line with the guy who just dropped his album.

 

[Top Corner]

It’s sad to have peaked at nine years old. Wahlstrom is the Islanders’ version of Macaulay Culkin.

As for Romanov, we’re in complete agreement. I’ve probably made a similar post a number of times, but whenever I see shit thrown Romanov’s way, I feel obligated to respond. Other than convincing Trotz to be the coach, the trade for Romanov was the best thing Lou has done in his tenure with the Isles.

Romanov for sure was not Lou's undoing ! He's a flawed defenseman with average skill but playing top minutes at a young age against the best other teams can throw at us and done a decent job but what you see now is what you will get later, he's plateaued.
Probably a slight overpay but not drastic.

I see many posts here right now suggesting get this and get rid of that, this is not an Xbox game where you can just pawn unwanted garbage off, The problem Lou created with aging talent and ridiculous contracts has put the franchise in lockdown. The only currency Lou had were first & 2nd rounders that now have become like pennies on the dollar due to cap restrictions resulting from bad unworthy contracts. Most of Lou's so called assets are liabilities which I believe are unfixable.

 

[Isles72]

lol , the training camp where the isles had Kabanov working as an interpreter for Petrov

 

[Glorydays22]

for the islanders thats still a bad move in the making

I know it's very risky. I was just seeing what everyone thought. Before shoulder injury, he was a very good player. Still at 24, has a ton of talent But you are right probably too risky unless they did heavy retention

 

[Torrey Redux]

It’s sad to have peaked at nine years old. Wahlstrom is the Islanders’ version of Macaulay Culkin.

As for Romanov, we’re in complete agreement. I’ve probably made a similar post a number of times, but whenever I see shit thrown Romanov’s way, I feel obligated to respond. Other than convincing Trotz to be the coach, the trade for Romanov was the best thing Lou has done in his tenure with the Isles.

It's up there, though you could also argue drafting Dobson. In any event, given that Lou's been here for 6 years it's a sad commentary either way.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I am thinking the best way to inject some new life into this team would be to trade Nelson and Palmieri and rebuild the 4th line. I constantly oscillate back and forth on this, but ultimately it comes down to these 3 things:

1. Nelson and Palmieri will get the best returns
2. And clear the most cap
3. They both have modified trade protection

Moving Nelson
I did see a possible hockey trade between the Blues, Nelson and Buch, but got feedback from the main board and most pushed back on that idea. IMO, the most likely 16-team NTC is all 7 Canadian teams, Arizona, and say all the Western conference teams. Detroit and Minnesota are my best guesses -

1. If Detroit misses the playoffs again, then Yzerman will feeel more pressure to break the streak. Finding a 2C to play behind Larkin, while knocking Copp to the W, and Compher to the 3C will work. I can see Nelson being used here and the Islanders receive the 2024 1st and say one of Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Sandin-Pellika. The pick will be somewhere between 12 and 16, i.e. say the pick is Iginla. Iginla and Danielson, along with the Isles 1st, say Buium, and already the Isles prospect pool is rebuilt in one draft year. This will lessen the loss of the 2025 1st at the TDL, when LL dangles it for more help - possibly on D or F.
2. If Minny misses, then I also feel like Guerin will look to acquire a C - Nelson is a Minny native and his low cap hit of 6m will undoubtedly help during the Suter and Parise cap penalties, which will be done after the 24-25 season. The 2024 first, the pick will be somewhere between 12 and 16, (i.e. say the pick is Iginla) and a prospect (Riley Heidt).

Moving Palmieri
Palmieri is on pace to end the season with over 25 goals and 50 points. With only 1 season left @ 5 AAV, I can definitely see a team looking for top 6 help sniffing around Palmieri. He is much better option than signing a UFA of a similar production to a multi-year deal. A team that has multiple 2nd or 3rd rounders should be targeted. Palmieri also has a modified NTC of 16 teams and IMO no Canadian and Western Conference teams still apply.

1. Chicago is a team that quickly comes to mind because they have multiple 2nds and will look to surround Bedard and potentially Macklin Celebrini with some veteran top 6 presence.
2. Nashville - Trotz connection, Preds could use top 6 help, and they have multiple 2nds. Nashville will get some cap relief once Philly buys out Johansen this summer.

So, I would not buy out Lee or trade Pageau. I would trade Wahlstrom to Columbus for Olivier, sign a 7th D man, who can move the puck at the league minimum, 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.

Fun stuff, @SI

If the owners decide on bringing in a new GM and he's given the green light to start changing some things considerably, then it all starts with moving Nelson, IMHO.

Interesting thoughts on Palmieri as well.

Regardless of what happens on the GM front, I'm personally hoping the team finds a way to keep Reilly in the fold.

***
I'll be pleasantly surprised is anything is made of Wahlstrom other than letting him walk.

 

[Skip To My Lou]

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.

A valid point for sure. I guess it's the way I would do things if I were a GM. Lou, for whatever reason seems to think this team can still compete for a Cup, so in that sense... yes, Marchessault would be a tremendous pickup.

Does it move mountains? Not really. This team lacks speed, grit, and overall skill. While Marchessault brings all three to the table, he'll be one of few who possess those qualities.

I'd rather rebuild than trying to put old batteries in a remote and hope it works. At least I look forward to watching young guys progress. Watching the geriatric ward play every game is getting tiresome.

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.

Feel like Debrusk would want something along the lines of a six year deal and what Pageau and Nelson make. I like the player, and he brings a nice element to the team. Doubt he'll come here though.

 

[miscs75]

A valid point for sure. I guess it's the way I would do things if I were a GM. Lou, for whatever reason seems to think this team can still compete for a Cup, so in that sense... yes, Marchessault would be a tremendous pickup.

Does it move mountains? Not really. This team lacks speed, grit, and overall skill. While Marchessault brings all three to the table, he'll be one of few who possess those qualities.

I'd rather rebuild than trying to put old batteries in a remote and hope it works. At least I look forward to watching young guys progress. Watching the geriatric ward play every game is getting tiresome.

Put Marchessault with Horvat and Barzal for a nice top line with all elements needed. Then you figure out what to do with the other 9 forward spots:

Marchessault-Horvat-Barzal (wings can be flipped if Barzal wants to play the left instead)
????-Nelson-Palmieri
Holmstrom-????-????
Maclean-Cizikas-Fasching (or whoever else)

Engvall and Pageau would round out the 3rd line possibly. Lee fills in who knows where and if Pageau is moved, Maclean or Cizikas moves up and you fill in the 4LW spot with whoever. Possibly Maggio or Iskhakov in the 3RW spot to bring the offensive flair with speed to the bottom six.

 

[Torrey Redux]

A valid point for sure. I guess it's the way I would do things if I were a GM. Lou, for whatever reason seems to think this team can still compete for a Cup, so in that sense... yes, Marchessault would be a tremendous pickup.

Does it move mountains? Not really. This team lacks speed, grit, and overall skill. While Marchessault brings all three to the table, he'll be one of few who possess those qualities.

I'd rather rebuild than trying to put old batteries in a remote and hope it works. At least I look forward to watching young guys progress. Watching the geriatric ward play every game is getting tiresome.

Hell yes! All of this babble about trying to patchwork this group into a contender is nonsense. It's not happening. I am so sick of watching this lukewarm lineup year after year and any attempt to salvage it is only going to get us more of the same. As you say, bring on the kids.

 

[Glorydays22]

Put Marchessault with Horvat and Barzal for a nice top line with all elements needed. Then you figure out what to do with the other 9 forward spots:

Marchessault-Horvat-Barzal (wings can be flipped if Barzal wants to play the left instead)
????-Nelson-Palmieri
Holmstrom-????-????
Maclean-Cizikas-Fasching (or whoever else)

Engvall and Pageau would round out the 3rd line possibly. If Pageau is moved, Maclean or Cizikas moves up and you fill in the 4LW spot with whoever. Possibly Maggio or Iskhakov in the 3RW spot to bring the offensive flair with speed to the bottom six.

Are we really on board with signing a 34 yr old Marchessault for a large contract?? He made 5M this year and scored over 40 goals. What do you think he's going to get this offseason? 7M? for how many years. Why are we looking to sign a mid 30 year old player. Have we not learned from our mistakes yet?

 

[miscs75]

Are we really on board with signing a 34 yr old Marchessault for a large contract?? He made 5M this year and scored over 40 goals. What do you think he's going to get this offseason? 7M? for how many years. Why are we looking to sign a mid 30 year old player. Have we not learned from our mistakes yet?

Large contract no but if the deal is right for 2-3 years, he's worth a shot since he can still play. I'd rather take a shot on him over a guy who's in the system that we know can't play yet people still want him to get chances because of fancy puck skills.

 

[Throttle]

Fun stuff, @SI

If the owners decide on bringing in a new GM and he's given the green light to start changing some things considerably, then it all starts with moving Nelson, IMHO.

Interesting thoughts on Palmieri as well.

Regardless of what happens on the GM front, I'm personally hoping the team finds a way to keep Reilly in the fold.

***
I'll be pleasantly surprised is anything is made of Wahlstrom other than letting him walk.

Think Wally might be wondering whether he got an actual education at BC that he will need to put to use soon.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Think Wally might be wondering whether he got an actual education at BC that he will need to put to use soon.

He was only there for what, one season?

Then they brought him into the fold at BPort.

Seriously, why the crap did this team not look to get him into the CHL for a season or two?

At least, that's what I was wondering when he was flubbing it big time at BC.

 

[Torrey Redux]

Think Wally might be wondering whether he got an actual education at BC that he will need to put to use soon.

Maybe he can go join Ho-Sang on the Everblades.

 

[Glorydays22]

Large contract no but if the deal is right for 2-3 years, he's worth a shot since he can still play. I'd rather take a shot on him over a guy who's in the system that we know can't play yet people still want him to get chances because of fancy puck skills.

if it's a short term contract, he's not leaving Vegas....don't you think