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

[Top Corner]

The big question here is “How can you fix this?” This GM has had 4 years and as some of have said, he was fortunate that Trotz was available otherwise we would not have had any success. Fast forward and we are essentially the same team not necessarily good enough to be slotted in as a playoff team but looked at more as a team fighting to get the 8th spot. We have no farm system anymore, not that it was great before . We have a small core of really good players but a crap load of bad contracts and need more speed and scoring. “Can it be fixed?” … I think even the hard core Lou supporters need to concede, Lou is not the guy to do it

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

When do they ever?

Kevin Mandolese.

That's all I've got to say to that.

 

[JPIsles18]

I don't believe there is much a market for Lee. Also, I don't feel he is a problem - on pace to score 28 goals this season, leadership skills are key as well as being a beast on the walls and in front. Lee is also owed 9 m next season and has a full NTC.

Nelson on the other hand - there would be a market if he was made available. He also owns a partial NTC - 16 teams.

If Lou wants to make a bold move this offseason - Nelson would be it.

Cutting dead weight like Bailey isn't going to get this team over the hump.

People underrate what a hindrance Bailey is (ignoring the contract). Even if you forget that he makes 5 mil a year, which is the cost of a good top 6 forward, the cost of having him on the first line is even greater. He's such a poor stylistic fit on that line. He is slow, indecisive, and has horrible hockey IQ. He's awful at accepting passes, and he takes too long to decided what to do with it once he gets it.

Bailey is playing on that line simply because there is nobody else and where do you put him? He's a terrible defensive player too. I hope they find a way to rid themselves of his contract without buying him out. I've always liked Bailey, but he no longer provides any value to this team on ice.

As far as trading Nelson, I still don't get it. Why? Unless you're getting an upgrade, which is hard to do. Nelson is extremely underrated and is actually more productive than Horvat has been (this year not included), making 6 mil for two more years. Unless you're getting Meier, there is no realistic scenario which would make this make sense.

 

[Le Grec]

again, where is this fantasy player that is signing with us? Yes Lee is overpaid, but we have several others in line not making their salary that should go first.

I'm not saying this out of anger or hate, but I'll take any NHL caliber player who can skate. I don't think some, not you necessarily, understand how detrimental Lee is, especially playing on the top lines...

 

[ekill08x]

Moving Nelson makes absolutely no sense. He's actually been our best scorer. Worth the contract.

Lee will be hard to move. That was always a horrible contract.

At the deadline...Varly and Mayfield have to be moved. Losing them for nothing further sets this team back.

Other guys we should look to move this offseason...

Pageau - simply not worth what we gave up or signed him too.

Pulock - minus a a fluky goal last night, is a waste of a hard shot. Offensive game never developed whatsoever. Also not nearly physical enough for his size. He's a worser Adam Pelech.

Bailey is obvious but will also be tough to move. We may have to give up to get rid of him.

Clutter and Casey. Clutter may not be as hard for a team that needs some grit for a playoff run. Casey we just signed to an abysmal deal. He has regressed so much. That entire line just looks like they go through the motions and collect a paycheck.

Its time to significantly break up this group. It was a hell of a run but its over. If not for Sorokin this is a lottery team. Being 1 pt out of a WC is such a farse considering how bad we have played and the games other teams have in hand.

I'm not saying this out of anger or hate, but I'll take any NHL caliber player who can skate. I don't think some, not you necessarily, understand how detrimental Lee is, especially playing on the top lines...

Nothing infuriates me more than seeing him on the ice in OT.

 

[seabass45]

How's Tampa doing?

Enjoying their two rings. How about us?

 

[MJF]

Bailey is playing on that line simply because there is nobody else and where do you put him? He's a terrible defensive player too. I hope they find a way to rid themselves of his contract without buying him out. I've always liked Bailey, but he no longer provides any value to this team on ice.

Sounds like the Peter Principle. Bailey rises to the 1st line because the 2nd and 3rd lines are playing too well to mess around with.

Now that the initial 3 game surge after the Horvat trade seems to be leveling off it's time to sit Bailey on Friday if Pageau is healthy.

 

[JPIsles18]

The big question here is “How can you fix this?” This GM has had 4 years and as some of have said, he was fortunate that Trotz was available otherwise we would not have had any success. Fast forward and we are essentially the same team not necessarily good enough to be slotted in as a playoff team but looked at more as a team fighting to get the 8th spot. We have no farm system anymore, not that it was great before . We have a small core of really good players but a crap load of bad contracts and need more speed and scoring. “Can it be fixed?” … I think even the hard core Lou supporters need to concede, Lou is not the guy to do it

The rest of the league is saying it. Only certain Isles fans on this board think Lou is the guy. It's bizarre. If he doesn't hire Trotz, this team is in the toilet after JT left. But he did, and he deserves credit for that.

I blame Ledecky and Malkin mostly. They are both playing the result instead of process. The two ECF runs were good enough for them. They clearly don't care if the team wins the cup. Why else would you keep Lou?

Look at the NYR and Chris Drury. When he first took over, he made a bunch of Lou moves: Blais for Buchnevich swap, Reaves acquisition, Goodrow overpayment, Nemeth.

Then Drury realized that he didn't want to be Lou. At the deadline last year, he identified that the bottom 6 was their biggest issue and addressed it at a relatively low cost. This year, he has moved on from Reaves, Blais, Nemeth, while trading for Tarasenko at a very low cost. Drury has learned from his bad moves and did not double down. What does Lou do? Brings back the entire 4th line, resigns Clutter and Parise instead of flipping them last year, keeping Ross on the team even though he provides negative value, not upgrading the top 6 at all even though cheap options like Milano and Strome were available. Trading 13th overall pick for a defenseman with limited upside and no offense to speak of.

The NYR have been good the last few seasons, and have still been able to build a decent prospect pool. Lou has largely ignored the draft/prospects. He has been so bad, especially the last two seasons, he should have been fired. But mediocrity is clearly acceptable to Ledecky and Malkin. We have a one dimensional GM who refuses to adjust to the times. Infuriating.

 

[Glorydays22]

Enjoying their two rings. How about us?

exactly, they do what it takes to win and if that means forcing an older player to waive their NTC to trade them to better their team. They do it.
Lou on the other hand wants to invite them over to dinner.

 

[Tahoeblue]

Sell, Sell, Sell- I would poke around the TML and inquire about Knies or Robertson. Maybe even Dylan Holloway in Edmonton. Time to be creative and proactive

 

[Mike C]

I'm not saying this out of anger or hate, but I'll take any NHL caliber player who can skate. I don't think some, not you necessarily, understand how detrimental Lee is, especially playing on the top lines...

he's functional in the 1st two periods for goal scoring purposes but in close games down the stretch when leads must be protected no matter what, him and bailey should be on the bench

 

[crashthenet]

I wouldn't be shoveling dirt on Lou. Club had been a laughing stock for almost all of the 25 years prior to his arrival. If it wasn't Trotz coming here he would have brought in someone else. Just signed one of the premier UFAs of 2023. Can remember when that was a pipe dream.

Will never really now why Trotz left. Impossible to think he was unwanted elsewhere if he wanted to coach. Would have been nice to see Montgomery or Cassidy here but also not unreasonable to think Lambert could have had this team stay the course. Not happening. Houda perhaps the first casualty as the defense has not been good nor have the matchups. Not sure who runs the PP. What would our record be if we were middle of the pack in PP scoring? What exactly does Jauques Lemaire do btw?

01/01 -01/25- a 4 game and a 6 game losing streak as injuries once again killed them. Something like 2 wins and 11 losses in that timeframe. 7 points out of a possible 26. Brutal. That's your season. Is Lou on the hook for that? Yes. Waited too long to add a body. Lambert? Sure.

 

[seabass45]

exactly, they do what it takes to win and if that means forcing an older player to waive their NTC to trade them to better their team. They do it.
Lou on the other hand wants to invite them over to dinner.

Tampa is currently scheduled to have 3 mil in cap space next season with 14 players signed, two RFAs. That’s after they traded McDonagh. They *had* to do this. And it doesn’t happen often. McDonagh was the one guy who both had value and the flexibility of *just* a NTC in his contract to make this work without hurting Tampa’s future chances too much. He also has two rings now. He was very notably pissed about the situation but I feel having won a couple of times dulls the pain a bit.

Us? We’re not in cap hell, we just started having regrets about the Pulock contract before it even went into effect. We started posting trade threads last season even though there was absolutely no chance he was getting disposed before his extension went into effect (guess what? he’s still here). We think he’ll waive to Vancouver because he grew up there, even though that team is an even bigger mess, and we just traded for a guy from there who likely has been telling everyone on the team how messy it was.

We need to sign a Vezina caliber goaltender and we think just casually dumping players we signed agreements with a year ago won’t have an effect on future players who are deciding whether or not to sign similar contracts. Just handwave all of it and say “it’s business”, as though the way you operate a business doesn’t have an effect on your employees.

As for Lee, we had the opportunity to sign Johnny Gaudreau if we could make cap space by offloading two other players, and we had two specific players in mind we thought could make this work. That didn’t happen because there’s not a lot of enthusiasm around the league right now with adding wingers with term, particularly when they’re on the wrong side of 30. They could hold out for a first rounder just to take a contract because they’re not obligated to help us sign top UFAs. Anders Lee will be 33 years old at the start of next season, has three years and 21 mil left on his deal, a lot of mileage, one year left on his full NTC, and the cap isn’t expected to increase significantly this off-season. He was brought up here because people see the decline coming but hope other teams aren’t paying attention. They are.

Anyway, enjoy hoping this happens for the next few years, I personally would make more realistic plans. Mayfield and Varlamov should give us decent draft capital if we decide to sell and who knows, maybe we fall back into the top 12 and keep our pick this year, it might be for the best. And really, the way everyone is talking here, we should probably make plans for if we make Sorokin a substantial offer to stay and he says no.

 

[MarsTBOW]

People underrate what a hindrance Bailey is (ignoring the contract). Even if you forget that he makes 5 mil a year, which is the cost of a good top 6 forward, the cost of having him on the first line is even greater. He's such a poor stylistic fit on that line. He is slow, indecisive, and has horrible hockey IQ. He's awful at accepting passes, and he takes too long to decided what to do with it once he gets it.

Bailey is playing on that line simply because there is nobody else and where do you put him? He's a terrible defensive player too. I hope they find a way to rid themselves of his contract without buying him out. I've always liked Bailey, but he no longer provides any value to this team on ice.

As far as trading Nelson, I still don't get it. Why? Unless you're getting an upgrade, which is hard to do. Nelson is extremely underrated and is actually more productive than Horvat has been (this year not included), making 6 mil for two more years. Unless you're getting Meier, there is no realistic scenario which would make this make sense.

But, But, But, His Hockey IQ is Off The Charts! Smartest Guy On The Ice They Say!!!

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Sell, Sell, Sell- I would poke around the TML and inquire about Knies or Robertson. Maybe even Dylan Holloway in Edmonton. Time to be creative and proactive

Lmao who are they taking from us for them to include those prospects?

 

[MJF]

But, But, But, His Hockey IQ is Off The Charts! Smartest Guy On The Ice They Say!!!

Cerebral Josh Bailey....

It's just a euphemism for the mind is willing but the ability isn't there. In Bailey's case it was never there.

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

There isn’t any way this team sells. I don’t think a guy like Horvat signs on if ownership or Lou hinted at that during negotiations. Plus what does that tell other players who would want to consider the Islanders during free agency? Most players want to win, or at least be a part of a team that is trying to win not tank for a player that could take their roster spot.

This is the team like it or not, Lou can only add at this point. In for a penny in for a pound, as a fan who’s seen my share of losing I’m good with going for it every chance you get.

Also draft picks are only good if you pick the right guy.

They have to be in market for younger players like Horvat, I’d still probably consider moving Varly and Mayfield even if they are still in contention. Big picture it gives them more ammo to try and acquire players in their prime at very least.

 

[ekill08x]

There isn’t any way this team sells. I don’t think a guy like Horvat signs on if ownership or Lou hinted at that during negotiations. Plus what does that tell other players who would want to consider the Islanders during free agency? Most players want to win, or at least be a part of a team that is trying to win not tank for a player that could take their roster spot.

This is the team like it or not, Lou can only add at this point. In for a penny in for a pound, as a fan who’s seen my share of losing I’m good with going for it every chance you get.

Also draft picks are only good if you pick the right guy.

This train of thought will absolutely continue to set us back even further. If we dont sell this teams future is going to be even bleaker than it already is. Thinking this group is good enough yet again is the definition of insanity. Nothing like losing players in FA and getting nothing in return when we have the worst system in the league and very little trade chips.

 

[Torrey Redux]

This train of thought will absolutely continue to set us back even further. If we dont sell this teams future is going to be even bleaker than it already is. Thinking this group is good enough yet again is the definition of insanity. Nothing like losing players in FA and getting nothing in return when we have the worst system in the league and very little trade chips.

I 100% agree with you, and yet, it's already going to be so bad going forward and we have so little to move that anyone would want and so little on the farm to bring up that is even close to NHL ready, the poster you were responding to is almost right in a perverse kind of way. As you say, it's insanity, I know, but Lou is already in for way more than a penny and their is no way for him to unwind the damage he has done so there is a kind of logic to just pushing 'em all in. As I said, perverse.

 

[duster19]

This train of thought will absolutely continue to set us back even further. If we dont sell this teams future is going to be even bleaker than it already is. Thinking this group is good enough yet again is the definition of insanity. Nothing like losing players in FA and getting nothing in return when we have the worst system in the league and very little trade chips.

And you can bet that Lou is looking for ways to fix this roster. He’s not thinking down the road.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Most threads here have become a cesspool.

 

[IslesNorway]

There's no question they need to sell but Ledecky and Malkin need to take a long hard look at what is the state of the team now and in the future. There are some very hard decisions to be made and I don't believe Lou is the guy to take this team forward. He did his job in bringing respectability to this franchise and making them competitive but the window is closed and they need to regroup.

If Lou doesn't wanna sell at the deadline, then let him go and bring in someone else as interim GM until the end of the season.

 

[Tahoeblue]

Lmao who are they taking from us for them to include those prospects?

How bad does Toronto want to get out of the first round? Mayfield and or Varly for starters. Two teams in both Edm and Tor who have stalled in the playoffs, up against the cap, and have a playoff window right now with their stars. Something like this should be explored. Plus, Mayfield knows the sweet spot on Kutcherov's lower back. That should account for something.

 

[The Real JT]

I don't believe there is much a market for Lee. Also, I don't feel he is a problem - on pace to score 28 goals this season, leadership skills are key as well as being a beast on the walls and in front. Lee is also owed 9 m next season and has a full NTC.

Nelson on the other hand - there would be a market if he was made available. He also owns a partial NTC - 16 teams.

If Lou wants to make a bold move this offseason - Nelson would be it.

Cutting dead weight like Bailey isn't going to get this team over the hump.

Right on target.

Lee is a bit overpaid but he has unique value to the Isles and more importantly you’d be hard pressed to find another team that would take on the remainder of his contract.

Moving Nelson makes use worse in the short term and with Lou at the helm, I don’t see that happening. JGP and Cizikas might be alternative candidates to move though I can’t see them bringing back much.

I see Lou adding another piece soon but hopefully a mInor one at a cost that won’t hinder the franchise going forward.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Most threads here have become a cesspool.

When the team is a cesspool the boards turn into a cesspool. Shocking.