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

[Mike C]

As long as this team can stay a bit healthier I see them making the playoffs. How far they go will depend on how some of these younger guys step up come playoff time such as Dobson, Wahlstrom, Salo/Aho, Raty, Holmstrom, and Sorokin.

I don't see the sky is falling like many of you. I also do not view this as a time to fire Lou. I would be fine with allowing Lou to oversee the next GM hire when it is his time to step down.

I wouldn't fire him now and even if team is floundering at all star break, I might wait until off season out of respect. I'd offer him a figurehead role of Senior Executive Something or Other if he wants it but if there is no playoffs this year, I'd say there should be no more Lou in charge hockey operations

Hope you had nice Christmas!

 

[TheWhiteWhale30]

Ah, but Katie's uncle said "in Lou Lamoriello we trust "

That shot is for the fans lol what is he suppose to say? If they miss the playoffs he is getting fired lol

 

[Mike C]

That shot is for the fans lol what is he suppose to say? If they miss the playoffs he is getting fired lol

I get it. My facetious nature takes over sometimes

I would have loved it if he said what Lou said about Barry when asked last season. Something to the effect of "he's under contract to be the GM this season"

 

[dlawong]

Columbus is going to be a team to watch over the next 2 years, as they already with a solid young D prospect core that will likely finish low, and add another star prospect in the draft this summer unless they have a tremendous 2nd-year rebound. I said that about NJ last year and the year before about the Rags. You need to look beyond what is happening now to see the future.

If Isles do not improve their prospect pool this year, they will not be able to make the playoff in 2 years, with both NJ and Columbus improving considerably and Rags not declining anytime soon. Washington and the Pens will miss the playoff once their superstars slow down considerably in 2 years. However, the issue will be that Ottawa and Detroit will become too competitive for Isles for the wild card spot with many solid prospects already coming to their prime in 2 years. Carolina - not too sure about their direction as they are a bit similar to where Isles is now.

Honesty I do not see this as the year where this team can win the cup, just not with what they currently have, the lack of depth players who can impact plays enough to sustain a long playoff run. To land a big rental and give up lots of future pieces, will be too risky for the future of this organization.

Next season, if they do not do better, the team should go the route of retooling or rebuilding, only keeping the young core, top prospects, and solid D vets like Pelly and Pulock, and add solid prospects in all positions, from anywhere they can find them. The scouts need to do a better job identifying the right players in the European and USA markets.

 

[Throttle]

Columbus is going to be a team to watch over the next 2 years, as they already with a solid young D prospect core that will likely finish low, and add another star prospect in the draft this summer unless they have a tremendous 2nd-year rebound. I said that about NJ last year and the year before about the Rags. You need to look beyond what is happening now to see the future.

If Isles do not improve their prospect pool this year, they will not be able to make the playoff in 2 years, with both NJ and Columbus improving considerably and Rags not declining anytime soon. Washington and the Pens will miss the playoff once their superstars slow down considerably in 2 years. However, the issue will be that Ottawa and Detroit will become too competitive for Isles for the wild card spot with many solid prospects already coming to their prime in 2 years. Carolina - not too sure about their direction as they are a bit similar to where Isles is now.

Honesty I do not see this as the year where this team can win the cup, just not with what they currently have, the lack of depth players who can impact plays enough to sustain a long playoff run. To land a big rental and give up lots of future pieces, will be too risky for the future of this organization.

Next season, if they do not do better, the team should go the route of retooling or rebuilding, only keeping the young core, top prospects, and solid D vets like Pelly and Pulock, and add solid prospects in all positions, from anywhere they can find them. The scouts need to do a better job identifying the right players in the European and USA markets.

Is this the ‘every team’ improved and ‘look at those prospects’ vs the ‘isles aging core’ post? Yeah, that CLB looks scary…bad. Let’s see how NJ finishes the season and the playoffs.

Once upon a time, an Isles team went 13-1-1 to start the season, then played .500 the rest of the way to end up with a tough matchup in the first round. Everyone knows the rest.

 

[YearlyLottery]

I just continue to be impressed by this roster to be honest. I am not saying they will somehow win the Cup but it will be another year there they compete for it (maybe stay a bit healthier).

Many of these Lou additions are coming into the lineup and looking the part this season with all of these injuries. Raty, Holmstrom, Romanov, and Fasching have all came in and impressed. They have hit a ton of injuries and still basically competing from the wildcard to a spot within the division.

Give me the Isles over NJ, NYR, Washington, and Pittsburgh come playoff time. Do they need some more offense? Yes. But if you go and add a Kane with Wahlstrom, Raty, Holmstrom, Dobson, etc for this playoff run you've got a different look than previous years.

Also, count me in the boat of letting Mayfield walk if he is getting anything for $5 million. He ain't worth it. I would like to continue getting looks at Wotherspoon to see just how far he can go.

Lou isn't getting fired, Lambert is allowing young players to develop more on this team, and they're doing it all without Pelech. Just remember how bad those Trotz teams faltered when injuries arose at times. That is not the case this year.

 

[Lights911]

When healthy:

Pelech - Dobson
Wotherspoon - Pulock
Romanov - Mayfield

 

[dlawong]

I just continue to be impressed by this roster to be honest. I am not saying they will somehow win the Cup but it will be another year there they compete for it (maybe stay a bit healthier).

Many of these Lou additions are coming into the lineup and looking the part this season with all of these injuries. Raty, Holmstrom, Romanov, and Fasching have all came in and impressed. They have hit a ton of injuries and still basically competing from the wildcard to a spot within the division.

Give me the Isles over NJ, NYR, Washington, and Pittsburgh come playoff time. Do they need some more offense? Yes. But if you go and add a Kane with Wahlstrom, Raty, Holmstrom, Dobson, etc for this playoff run you've got a different look than previous years.

Also, count me in the boat of letting Mayfield walk if he is getting anything for $5 million. He ain't worth it. I would like to continue getting looks at Wotherspoon to see just how far he can go.

Lou isn't getting fired, Lambert is allowing young players to develop more on this team, and they're doing it all without Pelech. Just remember how bad those Trotz teams faltered when injuries arose at times. That is not the case this year.

Isles have to make the playoff first before talking about how they can do in the postseason. The upcoming Western trip will tell. Those 4 road games will be tough and difficult to win, facing some of the top goal-scorers in the NHL and a #1 PP in Oilers. They are in the 9th spot with the Caps and Carolina currently on a hot streak and the Rags played extremely well lately. They need to be .500 or better on this road trip and cannot afford to lose more games to teams below them in the standings. They must win the upcoming divisional games against Cap. Still, they should not give away their futures just to try to squeeze into the playoff, especially if the player they get is only a rental. Continue building the future, especially with a strong draft year. They also need to build better goalie depth and find a bona find goal-scoring prospect in this draft.

I want the Isles to make the playoff badly but I do not want them to be that team that just missed after giving up a number 1 pick plus top prospects which is normally the price for a big-name rental at the deadline. Too much risk on the line.

So top prospects do not matter? Most star franchise players in this league came via the draft. It is the job of the scouting team and GM to pick the right ones in the first 3 rounds. You can't complain about not having enough talents without overpaying and at the same time not doing the best via scouting to land top prospects.

 

[MJF]

When healthy:

Pelech - Dobson
Wotherspoon - Pulock
Romanov - Mayfield

I don’t know long term how Wotherspoon will work out, but I’d love to sell high on Aho right now.

 

[Throttle]

Isles have to make the playoff first before talking about how they can do in the postseason. The upcoming Western trip will tell. Those 4 road games will be tough and difficult to win, facing some of the top goal-scorers in the NHL and a #1 PP in Oilers. They are in the 9th spot with the Caps and Carolina currently on a hot streak and the Rags played extremely well lately. They need to be .500 or better on this road trip and cannot afford to lose more games to teams below them in the standings. They must win the upcoming divisional games against Cap. Still, they should not give away their futures just to try to squeeze into the playoff, especially if the player they get is only a rental. Continue building the future, especially with a strong draft year. They also need to build better goalie depth and find a bona find goal-scoring prospect in this draft.

I want the Isles to make the playoff badly but I do not want them to be that team that just missed after giving up a number 1 pick plus top prospects which is normally the price for a big-name rental at the deadline. Too much risk on the line.

So top prospects do not matter? Most star franchise players in this league came via the draft. It is the job of the scouting team and GM to pick the right ones in the first 3 rounds. You can't complain about not having enough talents without overpaying and at the same time not doing the best via scouting to land top prospects.

Anything else they need? Maybe they should just stop playing the rest of the year, wait for the draft and see what happens in the future…

 

[Mike C]

Is this the ‘every team’ improved and ‘look at those prospects’ vs the ‘isles aging core’ post? Yeah, that CLB looks scary…bad. Let’s see how NJ finishes the season and the playoffs.

Once upon a time, an Isles team went 13-1-1 to start the season, then played .500 the rest of the way to end up with a tough matchup in the first round. Everyone knows the rest.

Know it or not, we love your renditions and colorful commentary

 

[Mike C]

Anything else they need? Maybe they should just stop playing the rest of the year, wait for the draft and see what happens in the future…

Yes, you well know what else they need.

 

[leeroggy]

Yes, you well know what else they need.

Shovels in the ground?

 

[Islanders4Cups]

The promising outlook for this team this season is due to their compete level against the better teams in the league. Last season clearly they could not compete against the teams that eventually made the playoffs. So far this season they are much better against the supposed better teams nearing the half way point, although they need to improve against the teams off to a slower start this season. This can be attributed to team depth in the face of injuries and a more offense oriented approach as key factors.


2022

11-28-2 vs playoff teams vs 26-7-8 against the rest

Florida 0-2-1
Toronto 0-3
Tampa 0-3
Carolina 1-2
Pittsburgh 1-2
Rangers 2-2
Boston 2-1
Washington 2-1

Colorado 0-2
Minnesota 0-2
St Louis 1-1
Calgary 0-2
Edmonton 1-1
LA Kings 0-2
Dallas 1-1
Nashville 0-1-1


2023

9-5-1 vs playoff teams vs 11-9-1 against the rest at this point

Boston 0-0-1
Toronto 1-0
Tampa 0-1
Carolina 1-1
Devils 1-1
Rangers 2-1
Washington
Pittsburgh 1-0

Dallas 0-1
Winnipeg
Minnesota
Vegas 1-0
LA
Seattle
Colorado 1-0-1
Edmonton 1-0

 

[steveat]

What do you guys think of maybe acquiring RNH? We have some defensive prospects ready to role for them and maybe a 2nd pick or something?

 

[leeroggy]

What do you guys think of maybe acquiring RNH? We have some defensive prospects ready to role for them and maybe a 2nd pick or something?

 

[IslesNorway]

I don’t know long term how Wotherspoon will work out, but I’d love to sell high on Aho right now.

He's looked real good in his two games. Send Salo back to Bport and then keep him around when Pelech is back too.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

I miss The League

 

[BarzyClub]

I don’t know long term how Wotherspoon will work out, but I’d love to sell high on Aho right now.

if they feel that Pelech needs more time ,I’d like to see how Spoon does on the road. This will go a long way in seeing how he fairs when we don’t have the last change.

So far, he’s looked as cool as a cucumber out there which bodes well for him.Impressed me the way he played against Malkin on that one shift. He’s always been a defensive dman and I think that’s what the Isles prefer on that bottom pair. Great to see from a guy that’s put in the time and is now making the most of his chance.

He's looked real good in his two games. Send Salo back to Bport and then keep him around when Pelech is back too.

it’s clear that Lambert doesn’t like to have Salo and Aho in the lineup at the same time . I expect one of those guys to go in the trade for a scorer along with Skarek and Beauvillier. All those guys need a change of scenery and a place where they can grow.

 

[leeroggy]

I miss The League

I got the boxed set from my family for my birthday this year. It really deserves more credit for being one of the greatest Sit-Coms of all time.

 

[PK Cronin]

I don’t know long term how Wotherspoon will work out, but I’d love to sell high on Aho right now.

I'd love it.

 

[MJF]

I'd love it.

Not to beat a dead horse but last night Aho was getting beat coming back to his end by Rackell. Aho will get outskated coming back because he pinches in so often. Then there are the physical mismatches when Aho has to box out an opponent in front of Sorokin. I appreciate how good Aho is at getting the puck up ice but the weaknesses are still there.

Aho is going to be 27 years old in February. This isn’t a story of a kid who Trotz wouldn’t give a chance to. This is a guy who has enough deficiencies in his game that can’t be “coached up”. He’s a 6-7 defenseman on any contending team and maybe in the starting 6 on a team that is not competing for anything. Get a useful asset for Aho. He’s not a foundation piece here.

 

[MJF]

He's looked real good in his two games. Send Salo back to Bport and then keep him around when Pelech is back too.

Frankly I’m shocked that Wotherspoon has been this good. My knock on him in Bpt was his puck management. Bad passes, bad decisions, giveaways. I thought the Panthers and Penguins would come at him so fast that he’s be coughing up the puck all over the place.

 

[PK Cronin]

Not to beat a dead horse but last night Aho was getting beat coming back to his end by Rackell. Aho will get outskated coming back because he pinches in so often. Then there are the physical mismatches when Aho has to box out an opponent in front of Sorokin. I appreciate how good Aho is at getting the puck up ice but the weaknesses are still there.

Aho is going to be 27 years old in February. This isn’t a story of a kid who Trotz wouldn’t give a chance to. This is a guy who has enough deficiencies in his game that can’t be “coached up”. He’s a 6-7 defenseman on any contending team and maybe in the starting 6 on a team that is not competing for anything. Get a useful asset for Aho. He’s not a foundation piece here.

If his skating was at the elite level, like Leddy or Toews, he'd be okay. His skating, his biggest strength, is only slightly above average. He's never carrying the puck out of the zone, outskating the opposition, or getting back with his speed after a pinch. His size and strength are below average and it means he's right where you place him. He doesn't produce enough offensively to warrant sticking around long term.

 

[steveat]

Frankly I’m shocked that Wotherspoon has been this good. My knock on him in Bpt was his puck management. Bad passes, bad decisions, giveaways. I thought the Panthers and Penguins would come at him so fast that he’s be coughing up the puck all over the place.

Lets give it 10 games. AHO has come a long way in a short amount of games. I'm AHO's biggest fan, but his first 5-10 games were super bad and has progressed well considering. It's hard to learn all that in a few games. He's way better along the boards...ties his man up...The one thing I noticed is that he's scared to block shots and I think that's why he leaves too much room around the front of the net...he'll wince when a shot comes instead of standing pat and taking his man. He's also an offensive defencement, but Lambert insists on putting him in defensive situations....I am assuming to give him a crash course in defending.

I also think the goal is to give AHO his 200 games as it takes a number of games for Dmen to show themselves. AHO is like at 65 or something, which probably explains his 2 year contract.

As for Wotherspoon...I think he's doing ok because he dumbed down his game. I'm still waiting...if he shows a bit of a snarl...we got our next Mayfield. (maybe). Then we can trade Mayfield of a pile of gold, then resign him back if he will do it on a discount. We also have to see how Wotherspoon handles more minutes. It took years before Mayfield could play more than 15/16 minutes a game without fking up.

We just have to show patience...if we don't..who knows...we could lose the next Tage Thompson.....

FYI...how many times have we said...bring them up..let them make mistakes at the NHL level..theirs nothing left to learn in the AHL....Well rookies are gonna make mistakes. Just chill.