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

[Mr Misunderstood]

Anyone who hooked up in college understands that you don't even give someone a hickey on a first hookup. It's just a creepy way to treat a person you've just met.

This happens a lot, on both sides

Practice on Monday might have a few guys who looked like their neck lost a fight with a wetvac

 

[MJF]

I remember in 2013 when people were hoping the Isles drafted Fasching.

9 years later, he's playing for the Islanders

See that? Wishes do come true.

 

[IslesNorway]

It’s hard to say with confidence that Bailey’s play has regressed this year.

My take is that Barry gave him the benefit of the doubt last year but Lambert views him like the rest of the league does. That’s not a compliment. He’s gonna be tough to unload without a major sweetener.

If he has a concussion, then the road to permanent IR might be starting.

 

[xECK29x]

if we grab Bellows here he can be sent to the minors, probably worth it.

 

[MJF]

Feels like he never left.

 

[The Real JT]

if we grab Bellows here he can be sent to the minors, probably worth it.

I’m half joking but worth it for whom?

His stats this year after 12 games are 0 goals, 0 assists and a -5 +/- rating.

We should be in stage 5 of the Kubler-Ross grief scale.
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and now acceptance.

 

[PK Cronin]

If he has a concussion, then the road to permanent IR might be starting.

Wouldn't be shocked if that's the case. I'd personally love to see Bailey retire and Islander, no matter how it happened.

if we grab Bellows here he can be sent to the minors, probably worth it.

I'd do it.

Feels like he never left.

How much cap space does 4 hours buy you?

I’m half joking but worth it for whom?

His stats this year after 12 games are 0 goals, 0 assists and a -5 +/- rating.

We should be in stage 5 of the Kubler-Ross grief scale.
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and now acceptance.

If he's a good guy in the room and knows the system, it's worth keeping him around for nothing. Maybe he helps Bridgeport a bit. If he goes someplace else I also don't care. The Islanders have 4 contract slots open and aren't in cap trouble for the remainder of the year for what it's worth.

 

[Throttle]

I’m half joking but worth it for whom?

His stats this year after 12 games are 0 goals, 0 assists and a -5 +/- rating.

We should be in stage 5 of the Kubler-Ross grief scale.
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and now acceptance.

It’s only worth it, ya know, if he gets a chance…

 

[MJF]

I’m half joking but worth it for whom?

His stats this year after 12 games are 0 goals, 0 assists and a -5 +/- rating.

We should be in stage 5 of the Kubler-Ross grief scale.
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and now acceptance.

Bellows hit the post on Tuesday. That’s the closest he’s come to scoring all year.

 

[The Real JT]

Bellows hit the post on Tuesday. That’s the closest he’s come to scoring all year.

Sign him up. He’s perfect to play alongside Palmieri.

 

[Mike C]

Sign him up. He’s perfect to play alongside Palmieri.

I'd take him back. If/when Cal is out long term, at least he can run people

 

[The Real JT]

I'd take him back. If/when Cal is out long term, at least he can run people

Don’t forget to cut and paste the bolded part. It’ll come in handy in the future.

Good old Cal. Our version of Monty Python’s Black Knight.

 

[leeroggy]

How much cap space does 4 hours buy you?

Lou's favorite Chianti

 

[leeroggy]

Don’t forget to cut and paste the bolded part. It’ll come in handy in the future.

Good old Cal. Our version of Monty Python’s Black Knight.

Come on, Cal's got 'just a nick'!

Now bring me a shrubbery . . .

 

[MJF]

For those of you who started hyperventilating about a Raty call up...

 

[Throttle]

For those of you who started hyperventilating about a Raty call up...

Next time leave out the ‘Bridgeport’ there Josh and duck.

 

[danteipp]

Isles fans seem to completely ignore that with average goaltending we'd be in the bottom 5-10 in the league. Putting on blinders and ignoring process in favor of results don't work in the playoffs. The Islanders are not balanced. Of the 23 games thus far this season, the Isles have been the better team 5 on 5 in about 8-10 games. Their best games were against the Avalanche and the Canes. Overall, there are alarming trends with this team. This team is no longer that good 5v5 so far.

Your point that some teams look good, mediocre, etc is not correct. The great teams look great more than they look mediocre or bad. This Isles team, while winning, has not been good 5 on 5. This is not debatable. You'd be singing a very different tune if we weren't lucky enough to have elite goaltending.

I've been an Islander fan for decades now. Isles fans typically love to put their blinders on especially when the team has a good record. We are not winning in a sustainable fashion. The team isn't very good. The goaltending pushes them to above average, because of how elite its been. To ignore this is being dishonest with yourself. If you want to talk about balance, the Isles defense has been atrocious 5v5. They are at a league worse 58 xGF. You can absolutely make the case for Sorokin being the MVP this season if the Isles continue to play this way and somehow make the playoffs and make noise.

This team is not as good as its record.


You can add Pageau to the list. Horrible albatross contracts on this team.

I am going to try to keep this short and simple, you can't ignore or discount elite goaltending because it is a facet of the team AND that is what the Isles allocated cap space to establish. They paid up for an elite goalie in Sorokin and a high-end goalie in Varlamov.

They are built from the net out, it isn't luck. Stop saying they are lucky to be getting elite goaltending. They would be unlucky to NOT be getting elite goaltending.

Their defense is still coming together with two new, full-time players AND they are all learning a new system. The goaltending is allowing them to compete while other pieces come together. I am willing to give the defense time to iron out the mistakes and refine the process.

The Isles also have talent and diverse skill down the middle in Barzal, Nelson, JGP and Cizikas. They have defined roles and all bring different abilities to the ice.

The fancy stats have been wrong now for what, three out of four years? There is still plenty of time for deficiencies to be worked out and/or for a couple reinforcements to be brought on board, be it externally or a callup from Bridgeport, who as an AHL team is playing very well and getting significant growth from the younger players.

Like Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are. If my uncle had boobs, he would be my aunt. But feel free to take it to Twitter if you would rather look good and lose, as opposed to looking "bad" and winning.

 

[danteipp]

While you make some bona-fide debatable points, once you throw in that lasr sentence, you lose all credibility with me. JGP is FAR from an overpayment or an albatross contract.

Agreed, JGP is asked to play a very specific role, which he does well. His stats are depressed because of that.

If he was on a bottom feeder getting PP time and being able to freelance offensively, the numbers would be better.

But I am fine with what he brings and I am sure the team is as well. The key is that he needs to stay healthy and play his game.

 

[eoin92]

How much cap space does 4 hours buy you?

 

[JPIsles18]

I am going to try to keep this short and simple, you can't ignore or discount elite goaltending because it is a facet of the team AND that is what the Isles allocated cap space to establish. They paid up for an elite goalie in Sorokin and a high-end goalie in Varlamov.

They are built from the net out, it isn't luck. Stop saying they are lucky to be getting elite goaltending. They would be unlucky to NOT be getting elite goaltending.

Their defense is still coming together with two new, full-time players AND they are all learning a new system. The goaltending is allowing them to compete while other pieces come together. I am willing to give the defense time to iron out the mistakes and refine the process.

The Isles also have talent and diverse skill down the middle in Barzal, Nelson, JGP and Cizikas. They have defined roles and all bring different abilities to the ice.

The fancy stats have been wrong now for what, three out of four years? There is still plenty of time for deficiencies to be worked out and/or for a couple reinforcements to be brought on board, be it externally or a callup from Bridgeport, who as an AHL team is playing very well and getting significant growth from the younger players.

Like Bill Parcells said, you are what your record says you are. If my uncle had boobs, he would be my aunt. But feel free to take it to Twitter if you would rather look good and lose, as opposed to looking "bad" and winning.

This is a common take amongst most Isles fans when the Isles are going well. Isles are winning but "fancy stats" are down on them, therefore "fancy stats" are wrong. Just like the eye test, "fancy stats" are a tool. Both the eye test and fancy stats are pretty adamant that the Isles look flat, slow, and out chanced quite a bit 5 on 5. I also understand that Sorokin is part of the team. Therefore, I understand the take that it's ok to win with him. These are all easy points to make. But this is not what I'm talking about. You have an elite goaltender at 4 mil a season. You also have an underwhelming group on paper (and on the ice, regardless of record). In a parity league, you have to strike when you have elite players on bargain deals. Sorokin is MVP caliber this year. He is severely underpaid. My issue with Lou is that many of the forwards on this team are significantly overpaid and we cannot optimize this amazing deal for Sorokin. This was true of the Rangers last year. They were terrible 5 on 5, but were enhanced by an elite Igor. After the trade deadline, their bottom 6 significantly improved and they actually got better 5 on 5. They made a bit of a run but in the end came up short. The teams that typically win championships in the cap world make the best of their cap situation: Lightning, Avalanche. These teams consistently have players that are underpaid. There aren't many, if any bad contracts on those teams.

It's a parity league. You need every advantage you can get. You cannot be spending almost 20 mil on Bailey, Palmieri, Pageau, and Beauvillier. Collectively, these guys are at 38 point/82 game season. That's not acceptable. You can't pay that much for that kind of production in a league with so much parity. It's not good enough to win the cup. That should be the goal with such an old team.

 

[JPIsles18]

Agreed, JGP is asked to play a very specific role, which he does well. His stats are depressed because of that.

If he was on a bottom feeder getting PP time and being able to freelance offensively, the numbers would be better.

But I am fine with what he brings and I am sure the team is as well. The key is that he needs to stay healthy and play his game.

I don't actually think he plays it well. He is lauded as this great shutdown center, but he isn't. When he's on the ice, the team allows quite a bit of scoring chances 5 on 5. In fact, he's having a better than expected offensive season. He has 14 points in 24 games. That would be great if he was actually good defensively, but that's more reputation driven rather than actual results. Granted, he usually plays against the other teams top line, but other "shutdown" centers do a better job suppressing chances. Pageau gets victimized quite a bit. He's ok but not as great as some people on here think he is.

If the Isles had a bad record, people would hate on him more. However, since we're doing well, guys like him are usually loved. A lot of posters on here are more about results rather than process. It's concerning that we have become a bad defensive team.

 

[saintunspecified]

This happens a lot, on both sides

Practice on Monday might have a few guys who looked like their neck lost a fight with a wetvac

It's creepy no matter who does it - marking territory/kills.

 

[Mike C]

I don't actually think he plays it well. He is lauded as this great shutdown center, but he isn't. When he's on the ice, the team allows quite a bit of scoring chances 5 on 5. In fact, he's having a better than expected offensive season. He has 14 points in 24 games. That would be great if he was actually good defensively, but that's more reputation driven rather than actual results. Granted, he usually plays against the other teams top line, but other "shutdown" centers do a better job suppressing chances. Pageau gets victimized quite a bit. He's ok but not as great as some people on here think he is.

If the Isles had a bad record, people would hate on him more. However, since we're doing well, guys like him are usually loved. A lot of posters on here are more about results rather than process. It's concerning that we have become a bad defensive team.

when i worked in business i was taught a valuable lesson.....results are ALL that matter

i was told to by the owners to make sure there was a plus sign in black ink on the bottom right corner NOT a minus sign in red ink and they told me "they didn't give a shit how i did it"

whatever gets the job done to a satisfactory result is the correct process

 

[seafoam]

I don't actually think he plays it well. He is lauded as this great shutdown center, but he isn't. When he's on the ice, the team allows quite a bit of scoring chances 5 on 5. In fact, he's having a better than expected offensive season. He has 14 points in 24 games. That would be great if he was actually good defensively, but that's more reputation driven rather than actual results. Granted, he usually plays against the other teams top line, but other "shutdown" centers do a better job suppressing chances. Pageau gets victimized quite a bit. He's ok but not as great as some people on here think he is.

If the Isles had a bad record, people would hate on him more. However, since we're doing well, guys like him are usually loved. A lot of posters on here are more about results rather than process. It's concerning that we have become a bad defensive team.

Well regardless, he moves into a M-NTC next offseason (just like Palmieri).

With Bailey and Beauvillier both having one year left on their contract and the aforementioned players losing some trade protection, the Islanders will have more trade flexibility next offseason should they choose to use it and promote prospects in Bridgeport (Holmstrom Middle Six W, Raty 3C, etc.)

 

[Doshell Propivo]

when i worked in business i was taught a valuable lesson.....results are ALL that matter

i was told to by the owners to make sure there was a plus sign in black ink on the bottom right corner NOT a minus sign in red ink and they told me "they didn't give a shit how i did it"

whatever gets the job done to a satisfactory result is the correct process

*legally and ethically