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

[seabass45]

Am I the only one who thinks Sandin is a Thomas Hickey type around here? Maybe another Ty Smith? Small, average skater (I think I'm being nice saying average too), tweener. What role does he play on this defense? #2PP and #3LD? He can't PK because he will get Rag Dolled like Hickey did. Even if Sandin has the giant testicles that Hickey does and go after Wilson or something... he will consistently be in the dark room. He's not a PMD, he's not a dynamic PP player and certainly won't take any ice time away from Dobson.

I get he's buried on that amazing Toronto blue line and should be our #1D and all, but why do we want this guy? Salo can skate circles around the guy, is not a smurf, and is signed dirt cheap for the next 2 years. Sandin is a downgrade on that and that’s sad.

Honestly thought it was a mistake for Lou to mention that we needed *two* LDs. If we ended up with two then so be it but he could have projected more confidence that one of Salo or Bolduc might take the next step.

 

[Chardo]

Thankful we can move on to another big question: what does the Dobson contract look like? Give him the McAvoy treatment and risk a much rougher extension in three years or get it over with now? Guessing the former…

Give him a cheaper version of the Fox treatment. Because that's who he is, 2 years behind.

 

[BrockLobster]

Well, boys, about to get on an 8 hr flight. I look forward to several more pages of ranting when I land.

Who knows, maybe Lou will have— nah, who am I kidding…

Where you going? Safe travels.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Imagine if Lou didn't trade for Pageau, Palmieri, and Romanov and instead traded those 2 or 3 of those 1st rounders for one player.

Now imagine he did that and we didn't have any success....and then a plane full of unicorns crashed into Belmont. Is this how imagining works?

 

[PWJunior]

Give him a cheaper version of the Fox treatment. Because that's who he is, 2 years behind.

Dobson is a low life piece of shit who snaked his way to New York too?

 

[LeapOnOver]

I was meh on signing Kadri, and I'm meh on not signing him. I'm also meh going into this season, lol.

 

[mm11]

Well that's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[SI90]

Bailey is going to play 1,000 games in an isles uniform and we’re going to celebrate him in October for it!! Suck on that!!!!

Seriously though, this feels like a make or break season for a lot of players and maybe even Lou.

 

[GOLFWANG]

we don't need defense imo our top 4 is most likely set and you hope Salo and someone else step up or a cheap signing veteran.

so if we spend too much money on our 5 or 6 dmen we are going to be in the same position we are now.

 

[BelovedIsles]

I don’t like this either, and it’s this reason that I’ve been calling for the rebuild to begin.

If it seems like I’ve been trying to play both sides against the middle, I’m not.

I think we’re a wild card team. That means we’re a playoff team. But being a playoff team is not a difficult feat. Right now I don’t think we’d get out of the first round if we had a matchup against the Canes or Rags. My disagreement with Lou is that he believes in this roster. I thought we shot our shot last season and should have moved on when we missed the playoffs due to a variety of circumstances, fair or unfair. The individual moves Lou made or didn’t make this summer I have no problem with. The overarching issue is Lou is committed to this roster, either by necessity due to the contracts we have and the lack of flexibility under the cap, or because Lou really likes the team he assembled.

Either way, I think we missed the boat last year and it’s not coming back to pick us up this year.

Can't say I disagree. Take the unfortunate circumstances out of the picture this coming year (e.g. road trip, COVID), this team will be in the thick of that last spot. Doubtful they win a round. Lambert is also a wild card; what if he proves he's not an NHL caliber coach, can he get milk from a rock? He'll be an X factor. I am all but assuming the forward group we saw last season, we will see in two months. When this team will need a goal to tie things up, or take a lead, they (currently) do not have the horses to consistently do that, simply put.

 

[Sheva7]

I was meh on signing Kadri, and I'm meh on not signing him. I'm also meh going into this season, lol.

I like Kadri a lot...but we dodged a bullet. 7x7 is ridiculous.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[SI]

I'm all behind your point, but this summer's draft was not an "incredibly weak draft".

It was average, in a day and age where there are no more "bad drafts" because overall player development has improved by leaps and bounds over the past 15-20 years - and in a larger amount of countries.

And no-one goes unscouted anymore. There are no more hidden corners of the globe, so to speak. Alone a tool like InStat allows the scouting community to look up just about any and everybody, and see tons of footage, stats, and disected aspects of a prospect's game.

Case in point: Everyone talked about the 2017 draft as "weak" and probably the worst of the decade.

The book ain't even completely written on that first round and this is how it's looking already:
View attachment 577940
View attachment 577941

This past draft will look a lot like the above in 5 year's time.



Don't even mention that!!!

Don't jinx us...

That is a terrible class - look at that top 10 or top 20. In two years - 70% of the first round will be out of the league.

 

[Duanesutter12]

The main boards are a scary place .. Right up there with Times Square in the early 80s

Sorry, nothing was worse than Times Square in the early 80's. I just can't let that comment go by unrebutted. I try to tell people today how bad it was because all they know is Disneyland but it was literally the worst place on earth!

 

[periferal]

Best goalie performance in 20 years? Bennington had a .914 sv%. That’s average. Blues are a good team that deserved their cup win. Not every cup winner is Colorado or Tampa.

The Blues were DEAD LAST in the standings when Binnington took over halfway through the 18-19 season. They then went on to the Cup. You can quote stats all you want, but did you actually watch the games, specifically the playoffs, that year? Binnington was insane, particularly in game 7 of the Cup finals. It was like a metaphor for the Blues season where the Blues were getting totally dominated, but Binningont bailed them out. If not for him they don't make the playoffs, much less win it all. Go watch this...

https://www.nhl.com/video/recap-stl-4-bos-1/t-306627662/c-68449203

 

[Mike C]

Sorry, nothing was worse than Times Square in the early 80's. I just can't let that comment go by unrebutted. I try to tell people today how bad it was because all they know is Disneyland but it was literally the worst place on earth!

Being outside the Garden on 33rd and 8th after Knicks and Ranger games was right there too!

 

[SI]

we don't need defense imo our top 4 is most likely set and you hope Salo and someone else step up or a cheap signing veteran.

so if we spend too much money on our 5 or 6 dmen we are going to be in the same position we are now.

It will be at the league minimum and provide depth and give Salo time to develop, but most importantly to show him he needs to fight for a spot.

 

[periferal]

And what player has been traded since that time for equivalent value? Color me curious.

Matthew Tkachuk.

 

[PWJunior]

It will be at the league minimum and provide depth and give Salo time to develop, but most importantly to show him he needs to fight for a spot.

A PTO Veteran will be brought in to push Salo and Aho (vomit!) when TC starts.

 

[periferal]

And...in this fantasy...Tarasenko coming off his injury exercises his NTC and says 'no, thank you' because the Isles offense is anemic (remember that offensive suffocating Stanley Cup winning coach) and that is going to impact my next contract as UFA. Maybe STL makes the deal, but the player has no interest.

Fantasyland on team building always works.

And you know for a fact that Tarasenko said "no thank you" to coming to the Isles? I'm sure you did, but just the same kindly provide a link proving that as I'm just curious.

And my point was not about Tarasenko per se, but that it's better to trade more assets for a better player than individually trade them for OK players. But of course you have an ax to grind with any post I make so I wouldn't expect you to fully digest any of them and give an objective non-triggered reply.

Will we overachieve again this season?

That isn't the question. The question is...


Why can't Lou put us in a position where we don't have to?

 

[SI]

I am a Lou supporter, but he has not been able to deliver a free agent.

Last year, he was not able to replace Leddy. He struck out on Suter and had to settle for Chara. This season it is not being able to upgrade the top 6 similar to previous summers.

The good news is the Stanley cup is not won in the off-season. I think it is a good thing that the team does not have Kadri for 7 years.

The hope here will be that Sorokin, Barzal, and Dobson can elevate their games and deliver all star worthy seasons.

Wahlstrom improves greatly and makes a jump that Dobson demonstrated last year. Romanov shows that he can play 22 mins. A night and help us forget Toews.

Lee, Pelech, and Nelson do their thing. Pulock learns to hit the net And Palmieri, Pageau, and Bailey return to form.

And finally Raty shows up at camp ready to be a NHL player

 

[NittanyIsle]

I was meh on signing Kadri, and I'm meh on not signing him. I'm also meh going into this season, lol.

Exactly where I'm at.

 

[Mike C]

Exactly where I'm at.

Season can go either way but I'm going in with a glass half full approach. Healthy Pullock, Mayfield, Palmieri, Varly will be huge. Hoping every gut does their part and Lambert keeps the defense part of Barry while opening up the offense a bit.

 

[SI]

Matthew Tkachuk.

Matthew Tkachuk was traded for Huberdeau and Weegar - 2 proven NHLers not two 1st round picks. They are both older than Tkachuk and combined have played 1000 games.

Now there was also a 1st rounder attached but that 1st rounder is most likely a late one and not the centrepiece of the deal.

Just a poor example.

 

[Throttle]

Matthew Tkachuk.

Yeah, except 100point players were part of that deal. The isles have only a single ice skating specialist that nets 60 points. Not a comparable, but nice try.

 

[Sparksrus3]

Sorry, nothing was worse than Times Square in the early 80's. I just can't let that comment go by unrebutted. I try to tell people today how bad it was because all they know is Disneyland but it was literally the worst place on earth!

I still take the LIRR every day to the worlds largest toilet bowl. People today are rude and disgusting. Zero manners or courtesy. Bunch of turnstile jumping MFERS.

early 80s was different though . More like a combination of Starsky and Hutch, The Warriors, and Pulp Fiction. Around 1983 cut school, went to Playland for phony IDs so we could get into bars . Back then in NY there were no photos on drivers licenses Just height and eye color but the age was 19. We got jumped right on the street by some , let’s just say men of color, they tried to rob us but we were dumb kids and fought back . Got away with our lives and our phony IDs . As soon as we got back to Long Island we walked right over to Hicksville Ground Round and ordered some beers . The Boston College IDs worked …...woo hoo.