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

[DerekKingSnipes]

Always been an ehlers fan. Great speed, can transport puck and can shoot. Would definitely help our skill dept

Something to consider is he disappears in playoffs, I’d probably steer clear of him to be honest.

 

[blinkman360]

Trading Nelson would be a seismic move, but I agree that it could really set up the Isles to re-stock the cupboard and add young skill for a re-tool. I would try and load up 2025 or even 2026 picks for extra lottery tickets for Hagens or McKenna. As part of the return, try and get a conditional top-10 protected 2025 pick that could be a 2026. Get a 2025/2026 2nd also. In a Dream scenario, something wacky happens and we get McKenna in 2026. Boom Shakalaka!

Honestly I'm all for selling a select few guys for lotto tickets and icing a younger, faster team next year - while still trying to be competitive. Pulock, Nelson, Palmieri. I think you can get some decent assets for that trio, especially the first two. Ideally at least one NHL ready prospect with solid upside, and at least a couple more 1sts. Like you said, aiming for a pick in 2025 with Hagens. That would be my strategy, at least.

 

[Tres Peleches]

Sorokin++ for Draisitl

 

[mm11]

Something to consider is he disappears in playoffs, I’d probably steer clear of him to be honest.

Would play 3rd fiddle to #13, and #14. Ehlers would help regular season no doubt. Perhaps shoot outs and OT. Just maybe we can solidify a spot with 5-10 games left. Plus played good in memorial cup games.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Sorokin++ for Draisitl

This board would complain endlessly.

 

[ScaredStreit]

I agree the Isles should rebuild and not be on the treadmill but then you've got to really rebuild. That means Barzal and Dobson.

A rebuild while hanging on to them will take too long (nothing else will command A+ prospects or top 10 picks) which means they'll be close to ageing out when you're ready to compete anyways so it's redundant to rebuild around their timeline.

The Isles have to go scorched earth or otherwise try to retool around a Barzal/Dobson/Horvat/Sorokin core and be at best a wildcard team.

So....?

Wayne Gretzky was traded so anyone can be. I'm as loyal as the next guy, but are we trying to win here or hand out friendship bracelets?

No one is above the team. The names on the back of the jersey change all the time, but the logo on the front stays the same. You protect that over everything and thus if Nelson has to be traded because it's in the best interest of the team...Then he needs to go.

Because of some bad signings/cap management and totally draining and not replacing the prospect pool, Lou has put us in this position of needing to make hard choices - Like whether or not to trade Nelson.

My take is even if you trade Nelson for multiple assets you're probably not getting this team back to Cup contention with this core. However if you don't trade him then it's impossible.

Why do I say that? Because well #1 is - Lou is GM. Even if he could trade Pulock or Pelech, he won't. I mean if you're that loyal to Pierre freaking Engvall then that also means he won't trade Nelson. So I think those of us who see that it's probably the best move are just shouting at the wind.

It's a shite state of affairs around here and the person who made it this way is going to be at the controls for the foreseeable future.

While I certainly agree that the cliche of the name on the front is more important than the name on the back-organizations need to have some loyalty toward their players (within reason). If not, why would anybody want to go to that team in the future? Moving a guy or two to retool and improve the team is fine. However this isn't NHL 24 and it has an impact on the lockerroom and the perception of the team.

 

[periferal]

Sorokin++ for Draisitl

If only we had 18 year old Wayne Gretzky in our farm system to be the "++."

 

[periferal]

While I certainly agree that the cliche of the name on the front is more important than the name on the back-organizations need to have some loyalty toward their players (within reason). If not, why would anybody want to go to that team in the future? Moving a guy or two to retool and improve the team is fine. However this isn't NHL 24 and it has an impact on the lockerroom and the perception of the team.

Are you serious? Have you seen the "loyalty" that Lou has shown since he's been here? Just go over to the Isles page at caprfriendly.com and look how many players have been given 5+ year deals by Lou - When several didn't even deserve it.

Lou has filled the "loyalty quota" until at least 2030. And he's going to prove it to you again this summer when he unnecessarily resigns Martin and Clutterbuck to mutli-year extensions.

What Lou literally needs to do is start being LESS loyal so we can have more cap space, and assets from trading players, to actually improve the roster.

 

[Throttle]

Right, sort of like when #13 beat barkov in a playoff a 3 or so years ago. It's a tough league for sure.

Shall we come back to this re Game 2?

 

[mm11]

Shall we come back to this re Game 2?

tough league for sure.

 

[Nassau Revisited]

While I certainly agree that the cliche of the name on the front is more important than the name on the back-organizations need to have some loyalty toward their players (within reason). If not, why would anybody want to go to that team in the future? Moving a guy or two to retool and improve the team is fine. However this isn't NHL 24 and it has an impact on the lockerroom and the perception of the team.

Vegas will dump guys in a heartbeat and have no trouble attracting UFAs. Of course location and taxes also probably help. Players want to make money and go to winning organizations with a chance at the cup. I think the “loyalty” factor is overblown as players know the NHL is a business first.

Look at the Hamonic situation. We did right by him and actually got great value but did that help attract any players?

 

[NC 1972]

If only we had 18 year old Wayne Gretzky in our farm system to be the "++."

He was playing pro-hockey in the WHA at the age of 17.

 

[MJF]

This board would complain endlessly.

Draisaittl and McJesus are soft. Never got it done when it counted. Didn’t you know that?

 

[Throttle]

Vegas will dump guys in a heartbeat and have no trouble attracting UFAs. Of course location and taxes also probably help. Players want to make money and go to winning organizations with a chance at the cup. I think the “loyalty” factor is overblown as players know the NHL is a business first.

Look at the Hamonic situation. We did right by him and actually got great value but did that help attract any players?

I think that’s become more apparent under the recent hard cap and flat cap era re loyalty.

Remember the days when the fan base craved committed players to Long Island (hence, the wang contract specials)? Snow furthered that. Lou continued it, but historically did that anyway.

 

[periferal]

He was playing pro-hockey in the WHA at the age of 17.

Not the point at all, but thank you for the information.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Draisaittl and McJesus are soft. Never got it done when it counted. Didn’t you know that?

Only way I'm making that trade is Pageau, Wahlstrom, and Lee for Draisaitl at 50% retained. I know what I have, no lowballers.

 

[Nassau Revisited]

Only way I'm making that trade is Pageau, Wahlstrom, and Lee for Draisaitl at 50% retained. I know what I have, no lowballers.

Lee is 30 goal guy, JGP is a premier shutdown center and Wahlstrom has 50-60 goal potential. We need to aim higher

 

[Osakahaus]

Lee is 30 goal guy, JGP is a premier shutdown center and Wahlstrom has 50-60 goal potential. We need to aim higher

JGP is ASS

 

[BelovedIsles]

Nelson had a career high in shots on goal last season and shot a tad below his career average (makes sense from a logical standpoint).

I’m okay with him being re-signed if his AAV comes down from his current 6M per. I really didn’t think he looked bad on the wing either? So there’s the option to slide him over to wing as he continues to age.

With that said, I’m also okay with him being traded for someone like Marco Rossi out of Minnesota (no clue if he’d be available or the value), but NYI would get younger and sacrifice probably 10-15 goals in the short term that I think they can make up internally.

Hopefully Lee has a bounce back year and restores his value so NYI can more easily move him in that final year of his deal.

I’m not expecting a bounce back. His hands and feet aren’t as quick as they used to be. I expect further regression; I’d work real hard this off-season to jettison his 7 mil.

 

[IslesNorway]

The Isles have actually done a great job at making the players show tremendous loyalty to the organization and the team. Tavares is the only notable exception from a long list of players who could have gone elsewhere, but decided to stay. That is of course a good thing, but there is a sickness throughout the entire NHL that makes teams sign their players to too long deals that ultimately hurt the team, and the Islanders are probably among the worst, if not THE worst at that.

Ideally you only want two or three players on deals longer than 4-5 years, but with the horrendous signings last offseason, the Isles are painted well into a corner, and as long as Lou remains at the helm, nothing will change. This offseason should start with not renewing any UFAs nor sign Nelson to an extension, but knowing Lou, the opposite will be what happens.

 

[The Real JT]

Re: Romanov

It’s hard to call him a core player but he’s a solid unspectacular #2LHD. He eats major minutes. Feel free to belittle the +/- stat all you want but he’s also the team’s clear leader in that metric over the last 2 years.

Lose him and be prepared to pay dearly for similarly skilled talent or wait endlessly for one of our current prospects who are nowhere near his level.

So I guess I’m saying he’s a core player after all.

 

[IslesNorway]

Lee is 30 goal guy, JGP is a premier shutdown center and Wahlstrom has 50-60 goal potential. We need to aim higher

Imagine, we once had a bit of that. Now they are all pretty washed up.

 

[Throttle]

If you use a first rounder on a defenseman and get back a top 4, you got value. Get back top 2 picking in the top 10, you got expected value. Top 5, is top 1/2 20min+ defensemen that’s a leader in some capacity.,

All Lou did with trading that pick was guarantee and accelerate the pick they had in an area of need.,The fuss over trading that pick is mind boggling.

 

[saintunspecified]

Lose him and be prepared to pay dearly for similarly skilled talent or wait endlessly for one of our current prospects who are nowhere near his level.

100%

NYI have to lock him up for his 26-30 y/o years. If the team ends up sucking, no worries, he'll be plenty tradeable.

 

[MJF]

The Isles have actually done a great job at making the players show tremendous loyalty to the organization and the team. Tavares is the only notable exception from a long list of players who could have gone elsewhere, but decided to stay. That is of course a good thing, but there is a sickness throughout the entire NHL that makes teams sign their players to too long deals that ultimately hurt the team, and the Islanders are probably among the worst, if not THE worst at that.

Go back and listen to the clean out day interviews. Particularly Clutterbuck, Barzal, Pulock, Martin. It's not a team, it's a cult.