Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2024-25: Re-Tool, Re-Group, Re-Mix, Re-Build

[SI]

No issue with re-signing Palmieri, especially if the deal resembles Zucker’s (two years, under $5M). Right-handed shots are hard to find in this league, and Palmieri has thrived under Roy.


Moving Nelson was necessary—getting a first-round pick in a stronger draft and adding a top prospect to the system is solid asset management.


Not trading Pageau, Lee, and Mayfield isn’t surprising; moving them was always a long shot. If the team falls out of contention again next season, JGP and Lee will be easier to move at the next deadline. To move them now, significant salary retention would have been required—just look at what the Flyers had to do with Laughton.


The offseason focus now shifts to potential front-office changes, draft strategy, handling RFAs (most notably Noah Dobson), and making moves to shake up the roster—does Pelech get moved? Duclair? Mayfield? And what UFAs should they target?

 

[duster19]

another poor day in the Lou era. Isles are definitely worse than a couple days ago. No idea the logic behind trading Nelson and keep palms. Seems like there is no vision for this team at all. Huge problems in the front office. Longer this goes the worst it’s going to get. The last few contracts Lous has handed out are huge stickers (outside of tysp). Tough not to look at ownership and think they have any interest in the on ice product.

 

[BrockLobster]

Sounds like Hogberg is back. So thats like a deadline acquisition!

 

[SI90]

2+9=11

 

[Zeeker]

It’s crazy that “we would never trade Lee”, but teams like Boston have no problems moving on from their captain

 

[HajdukSplit]

Meh it went better than expected, I really thought they were going to make no moves. Even the Nelson trade was slightly underwhelming, while Ritchie is the Avs top prospect it seems he is projected to be a middle six guy at best

 

[Chockey22]

Except if you've been following the 2025 draft prospects and how trades have been going (lots of top 10-13 1st round protection)...You can see there's about a dozen coveted prospects before it drops off. So picking around 10 would be a much bigger deal than picking 17th.

We were going to get sloshed by any team in the playoffs with Brock. Without him I don't need to need to see another bloodbath.

Oh, I completely agree - my point was just that the difference between 16 and 17, and really between 12 and 17 is nothing, and playoffs are always more fun to be in, than not (even with a thrashing). Playoff experience is good.
That said, of course I would prefer that Lou had traded Palms and a Dman and to rest Sorokin the rest of the way to get a top 5 pick, but that's not going to happen with Lou at the helm. If we're not getting a top 8 pick this year, might as well play for the playoffs.

 

[IslesNorway]

Marchand to FLA. Boston doing what NYI should be doing.

 

[Throttle]

Lou probably still wants to go after those last three playoff spots. Really strong chance Devils could slide out of a playoff spot. Columbus has the hardest schedule of any of these teams.

 

[xECK29x]

It’s crazy that “we would never trade Lee”, but teams like Boston have no problems moving on from their captain

Lee isn't a UFA

 

[gordie43]

Too many posts to quote…

- Duclair taking in Palmeri’s spot, that’s a fair suggestion.

-as for all the posters mentioning tanking. That is just not gonna happen nor would those fans want to see that. Maybe Horvat Barzal Sorokin Dobson aren’t winning your cup, but they are very good pieces and you can’t burn it down unless you find a way to get rid of them.

-what is the rush to deal Pageau and Lee? They both have a year left and if things go south next year, they will be prime deadline rentals.

 

[doublechili]

This is probably a conversation for another day, but with all of the posts talking about what Lou's doing (or not doing) and why he does that (loyalty, stubbornness, etc.), I'll mention something I've said before. Lou seems like an incredibly methodical person. When a reporter asks him a question, his answer will be this self-evident thing that most people wouldn't consider necessary to even state before getting to their answer, but then Lou stops because that WAS his answer. It's like if he was golfing and someone said, "the course looks great today, huh?", Lou would reply and talk about the recent rain, followed by plentiful sunlight, and the efficacy of modern fertilizer.

Anyway, I'm no Psychologist, but I wonder if he operates the way he does not out of belief but just because that's the way he's wired? It's the only way he can be. Which is MY reason for thinking he needs to go, because he's incompatible with the modern league with a salary cap, free-agency, etc.. He's too methodical to succeed in an environment that requires constant adaptability and proactive moves.

There's other reasons. His belief in "the orchestra", etc., some of which are not bad things. But it's the glacial movement that does it for me.

 

[The Real JT]

another poor day in the Lou era. Isles are definitely worse than a couple days ago. No idea the logic behind trading Nelson and keep palms. Seems like there is no vision for this team at all. Huge problems in the front office. Longer this goes the worst it’s going to get. The last few contracts Lous has handed out are huge stickers (outside of tysp). Tough not to look at ownership and think they have any interest in the on ice product.

Lou did not trade Nelson for the good of the franchise.

Nelly wanted to go elsewhere and Palms wanted to stay. If Lou had his way, both of them would still be on the team right now.

Come at me Lou supporters. Like everyone else here, I saw the posts of support for Lou after the Nelson trade. While he got good value for Nelson, he did it with a gun to his head.

Lou is a has been. It was that way yesterday and still is today. Thoughts and prayers for the franchise until he’s gone.

 

[Chockey22]

No issue with re-signing Palmieri, especially if the deal resembles Zucker’s (two years, under $5M). Right-handed shots are hard to find in this league, and Palmieri has thrived under Roy.


Moving Nelson was necessary—getting a first-round pick in a stronger draft and adding a top prospect to the system is solid asset management.


Not trading Pageau, Lee, and Mayfield isn’t surprising; moving them was always a long shot. If the team falls out of contention again next season, JGP and Lee will be easier to move at the next deadline. To move them now, significant salary retention would have been required—just look at what the Flyers had to do with Laughton.


The offseason focus now shifts to potential front-office changes, draft strategy, handling RFAs (most notably Noah Dobson), and making moves to shake up the roster—does Pelech get moved? Duclair? Mayfield? And what UFAs should they target?

I largely agree with this, but no way they can move Duclair or Mayfield without adding assets to get rid of them.
Of the UFA's that are actually difference makers, Marner is the only one - he should be a target. Not sure if the Lou connection is a positive or a negative on any attempt to lure Marner to LI

 

[IHateLou]

you know guys. we COULD have ended up with a few more 1st rounders and prospects....but at least we'll only just miss the playoffs now instead of getting a good lottery pick.

It's inconceivable what Lou could have done if he wasn't a horrible GM, unloaded Palmieri, Pageau, Lee+ maybe others, got a bunch of 1sts 2nd. Prospects which you could have traded if you want to start the re-tool right away, and the added bonus of the team sucking at that point which we will probably drop down and get a top 5 pick, now we are stuck in shit mode until the trade deadline next year when it is time to unload Pageau and Lee only they and everyone else will be a year older and will probably get less

 

[periferal]

Oh, I completely agree - my point was just that the difference between 16 and 17, and really between 12 and 17 is nothing,

Again - Everyone is saying the opposite. Again go look at the scouting reports and especially the fact that almost every trade that involved a 2025 1st rounder had trade protection if that pick was roughly in the top 12.

Thus picking 12 and 17 could be very significant.

and playoffs are always more fun to be in, than not (even with a thrashing). Playoff experience is good.

A team whose core has been to the semi-finals twice does not need any more experience.

In fact I'd argue that an aging team like this needs as much rest as possible since they're obviously "running in back" next season.

That said, of course I would prefer that Lou had traded Palms and a Dman and to rest Sorokin the rest of the way to get a top 5 pick, but that's not going to happen with Lou at the helm. If we're not getting a top 8 pick this year, might as well play for the playoffs.

And that's why Lou needs to be fired ASAP.

 

[gordie43]

Just saw some of the lineups from practice ugh. I’ve seen enough of Fashing. Maybe it’s time to give one of the Bridgeport guys a shot on that third line.

 

[BrockLobster]

Another disappointing deadline has come and gone. Dont worry lou will get it done July 1 like always

 

[Strummergas]

It’s crazy that “we would never trade Lee”, but teams like Boston have no problems moving on from their captain

You know HF Boards has had a negative effect on your mind when an opinion post made by a nobody like me somehow translates to truth in reality.

 

[SRBisles]

So Boston faces adversity for the first time in like 15 years and immediately dumps Marchand, Carlo, and Coyle, but we continue spinning our wheels in mediocrity for the foreseeable future. Because, well, we’re a family!

 

[19 in a row]

Unless one is in the pipeline, how did we not trade a D, even for a modest return for bottom pairing.. you can't keep 9, and we have 2 UFAs and 4 RFAs among them .. so maybe we go 9 forwards and 9 D for the rest of the season?



Would be baffling , how we did not try to get assets for aging players on an aging team, in a seller market. this is if it wasnt Lou.... very disappointing.

 

[Zeeker]

You know HF Boards has had a negative effect on your mind when an opinion post made by a nobody like me somehow translates to truth in reality.

I wasn’t calling you out because I hear that from many Isles fans - you were just the most recent to say it

 

[gordie43]

Unless one is in the pipeline, how did we not trade a D, even for a modest return for bottom pairing.. you can't keep 9, and we have 2 UFAs and 4 RFAs among them .. so maybe we go 9 forwards and 9 D for the rest of the season?



Would be baffling , how we did not try to get assets for aging players on an aging team, in a seller market. this is if it wasnt Lou.... very disappointing.

I was thinking the same thing. Figured Lou would deal one of the defenseman but realistically at least three of them are waiver wire fodder. They probably wouldn’t even get a seventh round pick.

The other three are locked up for a few more years which lowers their value even more.

Dobson and Romanov who not gonna be dealt right now.

Reilly coming off heart surgery probably who has no market.

 

[islesfan3913]

So I guess the plan is to go into next season with something like:

Duclair-Horvat-Barzal
Lee-JGP-Palmieri
Holmstrom-Ritchie-Tsyplakov
MacLean-Cizikas-Engvall

Pelech-Dobson
Romanov-Pulock
George-Mayfield

If that’s the case…. Just more of the same but with less than $5 million in cap space for the offseason. Reeks of a team spinning its tires. Only saving grace is that we’ll still have guys like Lee, JGP, Cizikas, Pelech, Pulock, and Palmieri to move, but of course there’s no guarantee it’ll be a sellers market next season like it was this one. We’re simply just treading water right now and delaying the inevitable which is a complete sell off, but the assets will be worth less.

 

[SI90]

This was the perfect time to do what is necessary.

If BOS could trade Marchand, we should be able to trade our aging guys