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

[danteipp]

The same Bruins that took Connor Bleakley in 2014? Or the no brainer of Pasta? Too bad Snow didn’t trade up for Pasta vs a falling No-Sang.

Barzal was ranked 9th by TSN, hardly a no brainer selected at 16th, if anything he was falling.

Barzal also had a fluke injury that derailed most of his season, so limited scouting might have aided his "slide" a bit in a very deep draft. But, again, you seem to be making the point that the chance to grab a top-10 prospect in the teens, is a no-brainer.

It was a very deep draft, otherwise how do you explain Kyle Connor going AFTER the Barzal selection and all of the Bruins selections? Connor was a monster in college and the Bruins passed on him, Chabot, etc. for inferior talent then and now.

The Bruins just did a bad job. They simply weren't right in their scouting that year, I don't see how anyone can argue that. Talented players were sitting there for them and they mistakenly passed on several very good players for inferior prospects and pushed down better players for the benefit of other teams.

 

[danteipp]

Guy ranked 9th and falls to 16th, seems like the definition of a No-brainer to me. If I recall his fall was because of an injury during his draft year so scouts couldn't see him perform that much (I may be wrong though).

You are not wrong, I believe it was a fluke off-ice injury (hip?) that cost Barzal most of his draft season. Barzal, Kyle Connor, Chabot, etc. all slid primarily because the Bruins messed up in a generational draft.

When they traded away players like Lucic and ended up with three firsts, I thought that would spark a dynasty. They had players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot or even Colin White (thought he would be a star too) just sitting there for the taking.

Thank the hockey gods the Bruins didn't make the obvious picks. Just imagine the core they have PLUS Barzal, Connor and Chabot? A Connor-Barzal-Pasta line would be frightening. Especially with Chabot leading the rush.

 

[MJF]

You are not wrong, I believe it was a fluke off-ice injury (hip?) that cost Barzal most of his draft season. Barzal, Kyle Connor, Chabot, etc. all slid primarily because the Bruins messed up in a generational draft.

When they traded away players like Lucic and ended up with three firsts, I thought that would spark a dynasty. They had players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot or even Colin White (thought he would be a star too) just sitting there for the taking.

Thank the hockey gods the Bruins didn't make the obvious picks. Just imagine the core they have PLUS Barzal, Connor and Chabot? A Connor-Barzal-Pasta line would be frightening. Especially with Chabot leading the rush.

Barzal would never give up the puck. He'd hold onto it a second too long until traffic caught up to them.

 

[danteipp]

Barzal would never give up the puck. He'd hold onto it a second too long until traffic caught up to them.

Lol, I get the feeling Pasta would just bribe him with D&D coffee and the promise of massive assist totals.

 

[Cameraguy]

Report: Horvat rejects Canucks' offer, team now focused on trade market

Lou are you up from your nap!

 

[Throttle]

Barzal also had a fluke injury that derailed most of his season, so limited scouting might have aided his "slide" a bit in a very deep draft. But, again, you seem to be making the point that the chance to grab a top-10 prospect in the teens, is a no-brainer.

It was a very deep draft, otherwise how do you explain Kyle Connor going AFTER the Barzal selection and all of the Bruins selections? Connor was a monster in college and the Bruins passed on him, Chabot, etc. for inferior talent then and now.

The Bruins just did a bad job. They simply weren't right in their scouting that year, I don't see how anyone can argue that. Talented players were sitting there for them and they mistakenly passed on several very good players for inferior prospects and pushed down better players for the benefit of other teams.

No I’m making the point that teams do their own stuff all the time and selecting Barzal bc he was falling was not a no brainer, because other teams intentionally passed on him not named Boston.

Was Wright a no brainer at 2 or 3 this past year? Or just at 4 for Seattle that actually selected him?

Isles fans seem to just think everything works on a poor version of autopilot how Snow gets no credit (fine) and Lou only gets credit for hiring Trotz (not the 2 GM of the Year awards) and nothing else.

 

[danteipp]

No I’m making the point that teams do their own stuff all the time and selecting Barzal bc he was falling was not a no brainer, because other teams intentionally passed on him not named Boston.

Was Wright a no brainer at 2 or 3 this past year? Or just at 4 for Seattle that actually selected him?

Isles fans seem to just think everything works on a poor version of autopilot how Snow gets no credit (fine) and Lou only gets credit for hiring Trotz (not the 2 GM of the Year awards) and nothing else.

And I am making the static point that adding prospects/players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot, etc., in that particular draft at that point, over the players Boston selected would have been a no-brainer for the vast majority of teams, GMs, scouts, hockey fans, etc. I am not talking about other draft scenarios.

Boston made a gigantic error, three times, and it was questioned at the time of the draft and is not in dispute now. The matter is settled.

Don't let your dislike of Barzal cloud your argument or judgement. Boston's work in that first round is not the hill to die on.

That draft was loaded with top talent. There is no shame in the order a lot of those players were ultimately selected.

It could have been Barzal, Connor, Chabot, etc. and my bottom-line argument of Snow flipping a poor and declining asset like Griffin Reinhart for the draft picks and then selecting any of those available prospects/players would be the obvious call for the vast majority.

Are you really questioning my statement that trading a player like Reinhert for the picks, then using that pick on any number of better prospects wasn't the obvious move? If so, we are going to have to agree to disagree.

 

[mm11]

You are not wrong, I believe it was a fluke off-ice injury (hip?) that cost Barzal most of his draft season. Barzal, Kyle Connor, Chabot, etc. all slid primarily because the Bruins messed up in a generational draft.

When they traded away players like Lucic and ended up with three firsts, I thought that would spark a dynasty. They had players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot or even Colin White (thought he would be a star too) just sitting there for the taking.

Thank the hockey gods the Bruins didn't make the obvious picks. Just imagine the core they have PLUS Barzal, Connor and Chabot? A Connor-Barzal-Pasta line would be frightening. Especially with Chabot leading the rush.

Barzal wouldn't have to try to do it all with these horses beside him. Certainly frightening

 

[Skip To My Lou]

 

[doublechili]

Bo playing things smart so he doesn't get pelted with rubber snakes his first game back in VC.

 

[MJF]

Did he have Islanders pajamas when he was 10 years old?

 

[BarzyWally33]

I think, unfortunately, the isles have to play the course. This is a largely subpar defensive team being kept above water with elite goaltending. Trading what few assets the organization has to add an offensive weapon would be foolish. As i do not think the Islanders are one forward away from contending.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

What is the motivation behind the quote?

Like why release a statement at all? I feel like I've never seen a statement like this before.

 

[xECK29x]

What is the motivation behind the quote?

Like why release a statement at all? I feel like I've never seen a statement like this before.

Because the media market there is like Mad Max, its absolutely brutal on players.

 

[PK Cronin]

What is the motivation behind the quote?

Like why release a statement at all? I feel like I've never seen a statement like this before.

Reports are that he was offered a sizeable contract and isn't interested in signing it so the team has moved on to hearing trade requests. He's just attempting to get ahead of any rumors and not making an declarative statements about wanting to stay or go.

 

[Big L]

What is the motivation behind the quote?

Like why release a statement at all? I feel like I've never seen a statement like this before.

I don’t see any issues with that. Your standard issue quote. “I’m just here to play”. Nothing to see here.

 

[Throttle]

I’m a big fan, but with a $1M cap bump this offseason, gonna be a brutal UFA market as there’s not that much money to go around for these UFAs like Toews, Kane, Horvat, O’Reilly, Klingberg Again, etc.

 

[Throttle]

And I am making the static point that adding prospects/players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot, etc., in that particular draft at that point, over the players Boston selected would have been a no-brainer for the vast majority of teams, GMs, scouts, hockey fans, etc. I am not talking about other draft scenarios.

Boston made a gigantic error, three times, and it was questioned at the time of the draft and is not in dispute now. The matter is settled.

Don't let your dislike of Barzal cloud your argument or judgement. Boston's work in that first round is not the hill to die on.

That draft was loaded with top talent. There is no shame in the order a lot of those players were ultimately selected.

It could have been Barzal, Connor, Chabot, etc. and my bottom-line argument of Snow flipping a poor and declining asset like Griffin Reinhart for the draft picks and then selecting any of those available prospects/players would be the obvious call for the vast majority.

Are you really questioning my statement that trading a player like Reinhert for the picks, then using that pick on any number of better prospects wasn't the obvious move? If so, we are going to have to agree to disagree.

If another GM dished off their former #1 overall pick and turned it into Barzal and in part Beau, he’d be hailed a genius. It rarely happens the way it benefitted the Isles, but Snow did it so, it fell into his lap.

I don’t have a dislike of Barzal, I have an issue that his decision making is his own problem to figure out and, if he does, then he’ll be an elite player.

Unfortunately, his ice capades routine that fans love is not always the right choice, the lack of winger to propel him to stardom is a boogeyman argument and as an excuse for the ice capades is a boogeyman too, and he consistently plays down to poor competition, where he should be rising above it and carrying the team forward.

I’m just expecting more of a better overall game from a guy that CAN deliver on it, if he wants to, but he has to change his mentality towards the game. If people are happy with $9M player that has like 4 PPG in 150 games and terrible at face offs that is supposedly a first line center, franchise player, go for it. Some fans just don’t drink the kool-aid on him like a lot others do.

 

[LeapOnOver]

You are not wrong, I believe it was a fluke off-ice injury (hip?) that cost Barzal most of his draft season. Barzal, Kyle Connor, Chabot, etc. all slid primarily because the Bruins messed up in a generational draft.

When they traded away players like Lucic and ended up with three firsts, I thought that would spark a dynasty. They had players like Barzal, Connor, Chabot or even Colin White (thought he would be a star too) just sitting there for the taking.

Thank the hockey gods the Bruins didn't make the obvious picks. Just imagine the core they have PLUS Barzal, Connor and Chabot? A Connor-Barzal-Pasta line would be frightening. Especially with Chabot leading the rush.

Frightening indeed!

 

[SI]

83.5 m cap means -

4.5 for Mayfield
3 for Wahlstrom
2.2 for Varlamov
.75 for Parise

And that brings them right to the cap with no deals - really not sure Beau or Bailey have a market next off season? BAiley has 1 year left maybe? More movable than Beau?

This is why I’d advocate for a trade at the TDL - 2023 1st with Bailey/Beau for a rental.

 

[leeroggy]

Barzal was a no brainer? Seems like the big bad Bruins didn’t think he was all that with 3 consecutive picks. No one traded back or forward to take him either.

Umm, WE did . . .

 

[JJ18Sniper]

If the cap only goes up 1 million, there may be a real possibility of a Bailey buyout this offseason.
2.33 million in savings in 2023.
1.166 dead space in 2024 when the cap supposedly rises several million.

 

[PK Cronin]

I thought the cap was supposed to skyrocket this year. Did something change or did I have the years mixed up?

 

[The Real JT]

Snow did a great job of drafting late:
2006 6th - A.MacDonald
2008 2nd - T.Hamonic
2008 5th - M.Martin
2008 6th - J.Spurgeon
2009 5th - C.Cizikas
2009 6th - A.Lee
2011 2nd - S.Mayfield
2012 3rd - A.Pelech
2013 6th - A.Quine
2014 4th - D.Toews
2017 5th - S.Aho

That cannot be denied.

Everything else, you lose me

The ironic part of that list is that 2 of the 3 most accomplished players we let go or didn’t sign.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

I don’t see any issues with that. Your standard issue quote. “I’m just here to play”. Nothing to see here.

But it's not common. Usually a player talks to the media, like Tavares in training camp or Geaudreau in his training camp entry. Releasing a statement through the team website is something I haven't seen before.

I thought the cap was supposed to skyrocket this year. Did something change or did I have the years mixed up?

If the players paid their portion it could have but they didn't. I think it was always a long shot