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

[Lek]

I am not so sure anyone can come in here and do too much with where we are....next year at least.

 

[NC 1972]

There’s so many different directions the team could go this offseason, it’s depressing when you realize the most likely outcome is returning virtually the same exact roster and leadership.

I disagree with the first part of your statement, and agree with the last . Who will bail the Islanders out of their cap hell? And where are the assets to assist that? We have little draft capitol a weak prospect pool and an over abundance of 3rd and 4th liners that are overpaid. So yes I see little change to the lineup.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Today I am of the opinion that the entire coaching staff should be fired, but what about Director of Pro Scouting Ken Morrow?

The Islanders need to find diamonds in the rough like Verhaege/Montour if they are going to overpay for players like Barzal/Lee/Horvat/etc.

Fasching

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

We couldn’t even take the Hurricanes to 7 games with them missing 3(!) top six forwards and another regular. I don’t think our matchup mattered very much. Boston would’ve rolled us too.

Svechnikov? Yes. Big hit. Huge

Teravainen in his worst NHL PPG season since 16-17? Ok, yes, still a big hit.

Who else?

Please don't tell me you're including a Pacioretty who played all of 5 games this year. He was never a factor.

 

[seafoam]

Fasching

That was Chris Lamoriello’s finding, not Morrow’s.

 

[MJF]

Fasching

He's just rough, not a diamond. If your hope for Fasching is that he replaces Clutterbuck and scores 5-10 goals next year, then ok re-sign him.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

He's just rough, not a diamond. If your hope for Fasching is that he replaces Clutterbuck and scores 5-10 goals next year, then ok re-sign him.

Fasching is a cubic zirconia find.

 

[periferal]

Meh I'll bite.

The Leafs did get worse when he went there though. You just said it yourself. They went from fourth worst to the worst. So he took part in that entire rebuild process.

Again...

Lou took part in the rebuild process because he had no choice. When he went to the Leafs they were already rebuilding. My point is that Lou never MADE A DECISION TO REBUILD.

For example after snow traded for Ryan Smyth (ssentially emptying our (not good) prospect pool in the process) and Smyth didn't stay, I think snow had to admit where the franchise was and that I rebuild was best...So he MADE THE DECISION to rebuild.

Ironically is was snow that built a majority of the roster that made those playoff runs compared to Lou:


garth snow
Barzal
Lee
Nelson
Eberle
Beauvillier
Bailey
Martin
Cizikas
Clutterbuck
Pelech
Pulock
Mayfield
Leddy
Sorokin


Lou Lamoriello
Pageau
Komarov
Dobson
Palmieri
Wahlstrom
Greene
Varlamov



Since then Lou has added Horvat, Romanov, Engvall, and Parise and when you add it all up I'm not sure that Lou is doing that much of a better job of acquiring talent than snow did.

I still maintain the most important person to the Islanders over the past decade was Barry Trotz. We'll probably never know if Lou felt threatened that Trotz wanted his GM job or Trotz wanted to be GM back in Nashville, but the bigger point is that Lou replaced a hall of fame coach with a rookie coach - On a team that he claimed was a Cup contender.

To me that's GM negligence, but we also have to face this team is nowhere near a Cup contender, getting older, and with so few levers to move to fix all the issues (if they are even fixable).

Meanwhile Lou keeps borrowing against the future and I'm telling you that once that bill comes due in the (near) future it's going to be ugly.

 

[xECK29x]

Bring Snow back, we are still paying him

 

[MJF]

Bring Snow back, we are still paying him

Oh God no.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Bring Snow back, we are still paying him

I'd gladly let Snow take the reigns of the draft for rounds 3-6. We know that's the only thing he did well.

 

[Osakahaus]

Bring Snow back, we are still paying him

Hell no. Please do not speak that.

 

[crashthenet]

Again...

Lou took part in the rebuild process because he had no choice. When he went to the Leafs they were already rebuilding. My point is that Lou never MADE A DECISION TO REBUILD.

For example after snow traded for Ryan Smyth (ssentially emptying our (not good) prospect pool in the process) and Smyth didn't stay, I think snow had to admit where the franchise was and that I rebuild was best...So he MADE THE DECISION to rebuild.

Ironically is was snow that built a majority of the roster that made those playoff runs compared to Lou:


garth snow
Barzal
Lee
Nelson
Eberle
Beauvillier
Bailey
Martin
Cizikas
Clutterbuck
Pelech
Pulock
Mayfield
Leddy
Sorokin


Lou Lamoriello
Pageau
Komarov
Dobson
Palmieri
Wahlstrom
Greene
Varlamov



Since then Lou has added Horvat, Romanov, Engvall, and Parise and when you add it all up I'm not sure that Lou is doing that much of a better job of acquiring talent than snow did.

I still maintain the most important person to the Islanders over the past decade was Barry Trotz. We'll probably never know if Lou felt threatened that Trotz wanted his GM job or Trotz wanted to be GM back in Nashville, but the bigger point is that Lou replaced a hall of fame coach with a rookie coach - On a team that he claimed was a Cup contender.

To me that's GM negligence, but we also have to face this team is nowhere near a Cup contender, getting older, and with so few levers to move to fix all the issues (if they are even fixable).

Meanwhile Lou keeps borrowing against the future and I'm telling you that once that bill comes due in the (near) future it's going to be ugly.

A little nit-picking but Toews for Snow.

 

[PK Cronin]

Meh I'll bite.

The Leafs did get worse when he went there though. You just said it yourself. They went from fourth worst to the worst. So he took part in that entire rebuild process.

The Devils were an interesting case that I am not sure any GM would have been ready for. Fact of the matter is when your top forward leaves in free agency and the other one retires to go back to Russia when you are a Stanley Cup Contender it puts the franchise in a very difficult decision. Things could have been handled better for sure, but I do not think this was an easy decision at all.

1.) Isles should probably continue retooling while competing.
2.) Whether or not Lou completes this process doesn't really matter to me. I would be fine with a new look on things but I would also be fine with seeing what else Lou does.

Lamoriello was in Toronto for the drafting of Matthews, Woll, Liljegren, and Sandin.

His trade history in Toronto is interesting too.

Was able to unload Phaneuf, got a 2nd round back.
Traded Matthias to get a 4th rounder.
Got rid of Polak and Spaling for 2nd rounders.
Moved Reimer for a 4th rounder.
Winnik for a 2nd rounder.
Brought in Andersen for a 1st and a 2nd.
Moved Rychel for a conditional pick.
Moved Bernier for a conditional pick.
Holland for a 6th rounder.
Enroth for a 7th rounder.
Corrado for a 4th rounder.
Soshnikov for a 4th rounder.
Fehr for a 7th rounder.
Brought in Plekanec for Rychel and a 2nd rounder.

History of hockey trades by general manager Lou Lamoriello - NHL Trade Tracker

www.nhltradetracker.com

He's not making many blockbuster trades but looks like he's trying to acquire draft capital through most of his time there, while building a contender. Very different than what has happened with the Islanders.

 

[Glorydays22]

Fasching

Fasching is ok, but let's be real....he's a bottom 6 forward. We need a Top winger!

 

[Osakahaus]

Fasching is ok, but let's be real....he's a bottom 6 forward. We need a Top winger!

We need speed players also.

Ideally the isles hunt for Connor/Ehlers and Orlov

 

[Stercrazy]

My .02. I don't know if there will be a GM change. So lets keep that as it is for the sake of this post.

Both Darryl Sutter and Peter Laviolette are available. Lane was definitely a step back from Trotz. The GM needs to start there.

 

[PK Cronin]

 

[DerekKingSnipes]

Safe to say if Lou and Lane speak today there will be no changes to organizational leadership which I’m expecting and not exactly against, we need player change this off-season.

 

[gordie43]

We all know Baileys final numbers this year so hindsight is 20/20, but I still do not understand why he was scratched so that he would not play is 1000th game at UBS.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

This team has no talent and it's Lou's fault. Also, the team only did well because it's Snow's team.

 

[The Wahligator]

This team has no talent and it's Lou's fault. Also, the team only did well because it's Snow's team.

Add them together and you get a team that’s not winning the cup anyway.

 

[Osakahaus]

This team has no talent and it's Lou's fault. Also, the team only did well because it's Snow's team.

Do you exist to just spew sarcasm?

 

[Glorydays22]

For Bailey to question why he was scratched so many times shows me he is definitely clueless.
He says he definitely wants to play next year. Good luck in Bridgeport! I'm not trying and draft capital to anyone. He can ride his ass on the bus next year in CT. We only have 1 more yr of this guy and BYE BYE!

 

[doublechili]

I'm inclined to the view that we need a new coaching staff, and if the owners want a new GM that's fine too. I loved Trotz, but I'm not sure he would have been any more successful this year against CAR than he was in the past. IMO, we need a coach who says things like this when talking about his coaching style:

"At the end of the day, we want to play fast, we want to play quick, and we want to keep the puck. I don’t think those have changed much at all over the years."

That was Q early in his time with FLA. He's an advocate of strong defense. He likes having some size and grit on the roster. But he like to possess the puck, and play fast with it. Sounds like a good fit to me - and if not him, then someone with a similar style. The style we've played since 2018 has had success, but it's too one-dimensional and, without a killer PP to go along with it, too much a razor's edge thing to try to win 4 series in the playoffs. Like almost no margin for error.