BelovedIsles
Registered User
- Oct 22, 2005
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Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2023-24: Hotel California
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It certainly feels like the average fan is less excited about this season. UBS novelty likely worn off. Team was rather bland despite a trip to the playoffs, and then followed a pretty decisive 4-2 round 1 loss at the hands of the canes.
Lou has definitely brought a professional flavor to the organization. However, he also built a team that has a high floor and low ceiling. These types of teams typically don't do well when it comes to selling merchandise and tickets. I am not sure exactly what the season tix sales are, but outside of a few posters on this board, I believe that the excitement level for this team is fairly low.
This has to count for something. IMO, if we have another mediocre season, and this ownership does nothing, then the purchase of the franchise was clearly for reasons outside of the on ice hockey product.
Richie Daggers Crime
Boosted 9 times double masked they/them
This isn't how the average fan feels. It's how you feel.
PJGooch
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2005
- 1,039
- 652
The average fan isn't thinking about hockey on September 23. The people that are overtly excited or pessimistic about the upcoming season in September are nutjobs like us who read message boards all offseason.
Do you know how the average fan feels?
Richie Daggers Crime
Boosted 9 times double masked they/them
YearlyLottery
The Pooch Report
How is losing 4-2 and 2 OT losses where the Isles blew third period leads decisive? Certainly they did not win that series or looked like the better team but it was a hard fought series.
Throttle
Registered User
- Sep 22, 2020
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The team was purchased to build valuation, build an arena, a shopping village (the first in the US for the Isles owner in a prominent market), and a new hotel that’s within 15-20 minutes of JFK. The Isles were purchased as a vehicle for all that, not as the primary, but as a piece of a puzzle.
Good luck to Isles fans thinking the PRIMARY reason the owner bought the Isles was because of THE Isles. That’s hilarious to even be thinking that.
Malkin probably exits 3-5 years after the village is built. He takes the upside of the valuation and uses that money to build another village somewhere else for ‘free.’
This is obviously Malkin's motivation. There is no doubt that multi millionaires and billionaires purchase assets as just that: asset. Some care more than others about the on field (or on ice) product. Ledecky seems to legitimately care about the team and the results. Generally speaking, the product is not an insignificant part of the asset. The organization is also spending top dollar on this franchise: spending to the cap, hiring expensive GMs/Coaches, new arena, etc. This isn't a Jeffrey Loria/Marlins situation.
The team appears to be important to the ownership. The other things you mention are also true.
Exactly that. They did not look like the better team. Not even close. In fact, you can make a much better argument that the 4-0 sweep the Canes were handed agains the Panthers was a much closer series.
Overall, I'm mostly disappointed by Lou's inability to build off the success we had when he first took over. I'm hoping for the best, but can't get excited about doing mostly the same thing over and over and then pretend to be surprised by the same lackluster results. Some of you guys are fine with it. And that's great. I hope I'm wrong.
It was a hard fought series that the Isles were never in control of, at any point in any of the games.
This 100%.
Zeeker
Registered User
- Feb 15, 2016
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I actually bought and still have an Isbister jersey
YearlyLottery
The Pooch Report
This is my opinion but taking wins away is just as bad as me saying "well if they would have held those two third period leads they would have won the series!"
doublechili
For all intensive purposes, your nuts
- Apr 11, 2006
- 19,179
- 15,723
Not excited or un-excited. Just interested to see how the season plays out. Re: the two biggest needs I've seen over the past few years, I like that they're making an effort to increase the team speed. I like the D overall, but I've thought forever now they needed to somehow get a dynamic offensive D who can move the puck and is dangerous on the PP. Maybe Dobson really breaks out this year? If that happens, and a couple of other things go right, this could be a very fun season.
NOT a righty shot!
Not sure this is something worth admitting.
Please tell us you were a teenager or younger when that happened...
Mr Misunderstood
Must win.
Acting like the NYI/CAR series wasn't razor close is completely re-writing history. It went six games, with two of them going to OT. The Canes scored 16 goals in the series. The Islanders scored 15 goals in the series. Doesn't get much closer than that folks.
I'm excited for the upcoming season because my baseball team and football team both suck and I like hockey and most of our players. What you see is what you get with NYI. It's a bubble team that could finish in the 100-105 points range and win a few rounds if everything clicks. Enjoy it while you can because a really ugly rebuild is looming at some point.
I'm excited for the upcoming season because my baseball team and football team both suck and I like hockey and most of our players. What you see is what you get with NYI. It's a bubble team that could finish in the 100-105 points range and win a few rounds if everything clicks. Enjoy it while you can because a really ugly rebuild is looming at some point.
With a creative GM, an ugly rebuild doesn't necessarily need to happen. When a new GM does eventually take over, we just have to make sure it's not somebody who falls in love with players who only win face-offs or "do the little things right, while doing the big things wrong." Or pretending there's nothing wrong with a putrid power play by bringing back the same exact coaching staff and personnel.
There are times to be patient, and there are times to admit that what you have is simply not good enough. The latter doesn't mean rebuild though. It simply means shipping out a Bailey a year earlier before he became a complete liability, or moving on from the oldest 4th line in hockey hanging on to the idea that they'll be the only 3 players in history to reverse aging trends, etc.
You get the point. We haven't been pro-active or even reactive. Mostly stagnant.
Throttle
Registered User
- Sep 22, 2020
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When the rebuild happens, it happens. Constantly praying for it while the team (ownership and management) are trying to maximize their revenue window and compete, is kinda just waiting ‘to be right.’
Beyond the million factors that go into a rebuild, two critical ones to shorten the rebuild are ownership and management. What team with solid ownership and management went through an extended rebuild to nowhere?
For as much as people crap on Lou, better hope whomever takes over is talented and can execute successfully.
Beyond the million factors that go into a rebuild, two critical ones to shorten the rebuild are ownership and management. What team with solid ownership and management went through an extended rebuild to nowhere?
For as much as people crap on Lou, better hope whomever takes over is talented and can execute successfully.
It’s not “waiting to be right” , it’s looking at the on ice product, then looking at how we fare against the competition, and knowing in your head that something stagnated here in the development. That the product is not good enough to win, and not very appealing to watch.
Throttle
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- Sep 22, 2020
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Then people will tune out and fan revenue will decline and the rebuild will begin.
You’ve been on record of when you felt it was time to change direction. It’s that most of this fan base keeps harping on ‘shoulda rebuilt when JT left’ w/o considering a bunch of factors with that and also the ‘success’ the team had in two deepish runs.
Most of the ‘problems’ sunset off the books in 1-3 seasons. There’s plenty of long term deals, but those are to good to very good players (one great one).
This has been the longest sunset in recorded history. Lou was either paralyzed to make a move or victim of his own team’s bad contracts.
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