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

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PK Cronin said:
Other teams have better top pairing guys so they should have lesser pieces on the bottom. The Islanders don't have that luxury. Similar issue on offense too. They need multiple lines and pairings that are similar in skill level in order to have success.

Aho and Bolduc are also both supposed to bring offense and they don't really do that well. There are better offensive guys on the back end that could be had who might be worse defensively but would help the PP or there are guys who are steadier off the glass and out types that won't provide any offense. I'd prefer either of those options to at least Aho at this point.
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Can’t really say this for sure about Bolduc yet. However, Aho has enough of a body of work now to make that call.
 
leeroggy said:
We keep worrying about Aho, Bolduc, here and there . . . looking for solutions that DON'T EXIST . . . just like so many other teams deal with. It's about playing well in the playoffs if you want to win a Cup.
The Panthers went to the finals last year as the 8th seed (if I'm not mistaken, one of Lou's NJ teams WON the Cup as an 8th-seed) and Boston's historic year went up in flames in Round 1!
What team has a better bottom pair than Mayfield-Aho? Name names.
This team might struggle to make the playoffs, might make them easy or might get racked with injuries and fall away.
That's not a function of who is the LHD 3rd-pair.
We were spoiled with Pelech, Toews and Leddy. That isn't happening 99% of the time in this league with the current Salary Cap.
Lord, let the season play out for 25 games first.
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I agree with the majority of your post, especially the part about letting the season play out for the first 25 games or so.

There’s one comment that I’ll push back on.
You wrote “This team might struggle to make the playoffs, might make them easy or might get racked with injuries and fall away.”

You should’ve added the part that this team might just not be good enough to challenge for the playoffs. That’s hard for us fans to accept but frankly that’s what more than a few NHL observers are predicting.

The short list of my must haves for the Isles to make the playoffs include top level performances by Sorokin, Barzal, and, Horvat while we get substantial improvement from the likes of Dobson. Possible? Yes. Likely? I’m not convinced.
 
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BelovedIsles said:
I was going to ask. In Lambert's presser he spoke about Aho's ability to play RD. A pairing of Bolduc-Aho :facepalm:. No doubt Lou has to bring in more depth, not only to offset injuries, but an upgrade on Aho.
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This is the problem with the isles. When healthy they can compete. But they are paper thin so when injuries come guys are asked to do things they can’t. Aho Bolduc is a nightmare scenario and it’s the second game…
 
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PK Cronin said:
Other teams have better top pairing guys so they should have lesser pieces on the bottom. The Islanders don't have that luxury. Similar issue on offense too. They need multiple lines and pairings that are similar in skill level in order to have success.

Aho and Bolduc are also both supposed to bring offense and they don't really do that well. There are better offensive guys on the back end that could be had who might be worse defensively but would help the PP or there are guys who are steadier off the glass and out types that won't provide any offense. I'd prefer either of those options to at least Aho at this point.
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And when you consider that the Isles theme this year is suppressing opponents' scoring chances, it makes Aho even more of a risk on the last pair when you add in his lack of offense. For me it's not worth the trade off to have him here.
 
MJF said:
And when you consider that the Isles theme this year is suppressing opponents' scoring chances, it makes Aho even more of a risk on the last pair when you add in his lack of offense. For me it's not worth the trade off to have him here.
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Is it?
 
duster19 said:
This is the problem with the isles. When healthy they can compete. But they are paper thin so when injuries come guys are asked to do things they can’t. Aho Bolduc is a nightmare scenario and it’s the second game…
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And there in lies the rub, the different camps on this board will argue go for it, picks wont win you the cup. Others would say a deep prospect pool should generate suitable depth at the NHL. And so we have a veteran NHL roster that can compete nightly and if all goes well reach the playoffs. But injuries happen and that's when the lack of depth is exposed. That's the harsh reality we face now, like many other teams. The cap and the trading of top picks has led us here. Concerning Bolduc he will need time I firmly believe he has the skill to make the jump just need "A Little Patience"
 
My knee jerk reaction is to want an upgrade on Aho and Bolduc. So in looking around at guys who might be available, and who would provide some puck-moving ability to pair up with Mayfield, I saw Brannstrom and Boqvist and thought either would be great. Digging down a bit more though, I'm not sure either of them would be an upgrade on Aho, and they have cap hits of $2M and $2.6M (Aho is $800K). And yeah, Aho gets beat physically, but he's the only one of the Isles' 7 D who isn't big (and virtually every team has a smaller D or two).

Re: Bolduc, we have to remember that he's 22 years old and is a big (6'4", 220lb) defenseman - the guys who traditionally have the longest development curve. So with just 17 NHL games, maybe the smart move is to live through some growing pains and allow him to develop. Similarly, even though Aho is 27 he has only 133 NHL games (for comparison, Romanov has 210 NHL games and Dobson has 239). So maybe the plan is to let them get in games this year, and if at the TDL they feel they need a vet they can make that happen.
 
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doublechili said:
My knee jerk reaction is to want an upgrade on Aho and Bolduc. So in looking around at guys who might be available, and who would provide some puck-moving ability to pair up with Mayfield, I saw Brannstrom and Boqvist and thought either would be great. Digging down a bit more though, I'm not sure either of them would be an upgrade on Aho, and they have cap hits of $2M and $2.6M (Aho is $800K). And yeah, Aho gets beat physically, but he's the only one of the Isles' 7 D who isn't big (and virtually every team has a smaller D or two).

Re: Bolduc, we have to remember that he's 22 years old and is a big (6'4", 220lb) defenseman - the guys who traditionally have the longest development curve. So with just 17 NHL games, maybe the smart move is to live through some growing pains and allow him to develop. Similarly, even though Aho is 27 he has only 133 NHL games (for comparison, Romanov has 210 NHL games and Dobson has 239). So maybe the plan is to let them get in games this year, and if at the TDL they feel they need a vet they can make that happen.
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Aho seemed to handle playing the right side in a pinch so thats of value moving forward if any of our RHD go down
 
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After 2 home games...

THE GOOD:
- 2 wins
- 2 focused appearances by the White Whale
- Horvat looks strong, lots of shots
- A PP goal has been scored

THE BAD:
- The opponents were non-playoff teams last year; can't read too much into it.
- Both opponents had phases where they were extremely dangerous
- Most importantly: We're not scoring. That we wouldn't be able to score (in any capacity, especially on the PP) is the biggest scare for this team on paper. Now we're seeing it live. And it's not like chances aren't being created. Actually getting that little object across the goal line is a whole other issue.

Jersey is up next and that'll be the first real test.

You're generally gonna need more than two goals to beat them.
 
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Chapin Landvogt said:
After 2 home games...

THE GOOD:
- 2 wins
- 2 focused appearances by the White Whale
- Horvat looks strong, lots of shots
- A PP goal has been scored

THE BAD:
- The opponents were non-playoff teams last year; can't read too much into it.
- Both opponents had phases where they were extremely dangerous
- Most importantly: We're not scoring. That we wouldn't be able to score (in any capacity, especially on the PP) is the biggest scare for this team on paper. Now we're seeing it live. And it's not like chances aren't being created. Actually getting that little object across the goal line is a whole other issue.

Jersey is up next and that'll be the first real test.

You're generally gonna need more than two goals to beat them.
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I remain astounded at how unskilled we are with the puck in the offensive zone. The inability to make plays, the number of guys who shoot at the goalie's chest, the poor passing and puck handling. Against the Coyotes I remember a 1st period sequence where Ryan Pulock was beating the puck to get it to lay down for him. I can't say it's bad ice because things like this have always been a problem for these guys going back to NVMC I and Barclays Center.

What is the role of Troy Stevens, our Skills Coach?
 
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MJF said:
I remain astounded at how unskilled we are with the puck in the offensive zone. The inability to make plays, the number of guys who shoot at the goalie's chest, the poor passing and puck handling. Against the Coyotes I remember a 1st period sequence where Ryan Pulock was beating the puck to get it to lay down for him. I can't say it's bad ice because things like this have always been a problem for these guys going back to NVMC I and Barclays Center.

What is the role of Troy Stevens, our Skills Coach?
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Bag Gawd! That’s Rusty Iskhakov’s music.
 
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Great fit for the first line, but I don't understand how we fit him without trading Palmieri or Pageau, neither of which make sense to me. Something like Holmstrom + Wahlstrom for Garland (50% retained) leaves us about 200k over with 20 skaters.

The only way I see something working is Wahlstrom + Cal for 50% retained Garland but then we're down another PKer after already losing Parise, not to mention sending a respected vet to the furthest location possible which just doesn't seem like Lou's style. Just don't really see it happening
 
impaaaaaact said:

Great fit for the first line, but I don't understand how we fit him without trading Palmieri or Pageau, neither of which make sense to me. Something like Holmstrom + Wahlstrom for Garland (50% retained) leaves us about 200k over with 20 skaters.

The only way I see something working is Wahlstrom + Cal for 50% retained Garland but then we're down another PKer after already losing Parise, not to mention sending a respected vet to the furthest location possible which just doesn't seem like Lou's style. Just don't really see it happening
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This quote makes no sense to me especially after Rosner raved about how Barzal looks good on LW1:

"The Islanders focused heavily on becoming a faster team, and Garland would be another speedy piece to add to the equation. The Islanders wouldn't need to play him in a top-six role because he likely would thrive alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Hudson Fasching, with Anders Lee returning to the top line."

So you're saying the team focused heavily on becoming a faster team, but the solution here if Garland was brought in is to put slow as molasses Lee back on Line 1? In the very unlikely scenario Garland is brought in he's going on Line 1.

Barzal-Horvat-Garland
Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri
Lee-Pageau-Fasching/Gauthier/Wahlstrom (Although I think one of these guys would go to VAN)
4th Line

Holmstrom in BPT to learn how to become a little more selfish with the puck.
 
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