Toggle sidebar

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

  • Xenforo Cloud has upgraded us to version 2.3.6. Please report any issues you experience.
  • We are currently aware of "log in/security error" issues that are affecting some users. We apologize and ask for your patience as we try to get these issues fixed.
seafoam said:
The thing is if they make him a top six C, the Islanders have the WORST winger group in the league by far.

If you leave him on wing, they are still in the bottom third of winger strength but also have a glaring hole at 1C (Horvat is a premium 2C, not really capable of being a 1C IMO).
Click to expand...
Yeah, personnel isn't there either way.... but just doesn't make sense to point out someone's position, especially know how valuable centers are in the forward market and using that to criticize a player who hasn't played that position for quite awhile.
 
If Palmieri wants to stay, how the hell could not him and Lou work out a deal to trade him to play for a Cup and then resign in the summer? Now, this team is stuck in limbo because of Lou's refusal to change.

Come the end of the season, both Pageau and Lee are in their final years of their deals and should be trade bait. Unless they are traded within the year, this team is slowly spiralling towards the bottom and there are some bleak, bleak years ahead. Most importantly though, Lou needs to go. As long as he remains nothing will happen.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: MJF, Ishkabible, Levi Walking Bear and 1 other person
LeapOnOver said:
A player you want to stay on the team and re-sign IS a rational reason to keep them. You may not agree with keeping them, but the rationale is there for the one making the decision. Keeping a player that doesn't want to sign is where the rationale doesn't jive.
Click to expand...
In terms of trying to win a Stanley Cup it is irational, Palmieri should have been traded for assets, this team has no chance of winning a Stanley Cup this year, if Palmieri was intent on staying on the Islanders we could have signed him in the off season for a team friendly deal, Lou was not working in the best interest of the team when he decided not to trade him
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: MarsTBOW, Ishkabible, The Real JT and 1 other person
doublechili said:
Listen, my personal preference would've been to make another deal or two and gather more assets. But, I'm also not as distraught as a lot of posters here. Probably because I'm not a fan of a tear down rebuild and would rather try to retool on the fly and remain competitive. Mostly because I think that's the way teams have to build anymore in a salary cap/UFA league, and especially for a non-Original 6/Sunbelt/tax haven franchise like the Isles. If we're a lottery team for a few years we get back that no-trade list stink that's hard to then lose. Do I think Lou should stay on as GM? No, I've thought for the past couple of years that the league has passed him by. And I'm holding out some hope that we might get a surprise after the season is over.

But in the meantime, from a purely asset management perspective, at this point it's now two straight TDLs where we haven't traded away picks. It looks like we didn't lose any assets for nothing. Nelson generated a good return (pretty high end prospect and a 1st round pick in what is supposed to be a deep draft). Palmieri apparently is re-signing - hopefully for no more than 2 years and a reasonable number, but we'll see. Yeah, if you view it from the tear-it-down perspective it sucks that he wasn't dealt. But in a retool you're keeping a guy who is a good teammate for young players coming up, and with 20 goals at this point he's tied with a bunch of players for 65th in goals in the league (in a 32 team league that's not bad). When the Isles made their playoff run in 1975, Parise and Drouin were the most important forwards. They weren't around for the Cups, but they paved the way and taught Gillies, Nystrom, etc.. [Palmieri even kind of looks like Parise and Drouin :laugh: .]

Teams were inquiring about JGP and Lee? Sure, maybe. But if they were, were they looking for retention this year and next? 25-50% maybe? That's a lot of cap space - again no prob if you're in the tear down group, but not so hot if you want to retool and compete. So, they're still on the roster and worst case can contribute next year and, again, provide leadership/experience for young players. If the Isles find themselves in the same position a year from now, hopefully they trade them at that time and get assets back for them.

The Isles apparently did not offer Nelson a 5 or 6 year contract at $7-8M per year. I view that as a good thing. If the mindset of the Mayfield/Engvall summer applied, Nelson would've been offered that kind of contract. They didn't trade picks. I fully expected Nelson to either be re-signed or to be traded for a player who could contribute right now, to a playoff run. The fact that Nelson was dealt for pure futures tells me something different may be going on. Maybe, just maybe, there is some kind of leash on Lou, and maybe we get an announcement after the season ends. We'll see. But in the meantime, at worst there was not active damage done to the team (trading away futures or taking on expensive new contracts). They got good value for their best asset, and retained the other ones and can still flip them in the future. They have all their picks this summer, and two 1st round picks next year. You can bemoan lost opportunities, but if they keep their picks and don't lose guys for nothing by letting them walk away, so long as they draft well the pipeline should improve.
Click to expand...
Spot on!

Palms is not a bad keep for us moving forward as opposed to say another second round pick and let's say maybe an additional 3rd was offered?....Now if offered a first , i think Lou may very well had let him go but i would bet that was not offered thus making him more valuable here.

I think there will be more changes ahead and next years deadline is maybe going to be the real tell.

Retools can take some patience and some thinking ahead if done right. Hard to believe Lou does not see that is needed. Just the same, I am more than 70% leaning that Lou is not the guy to see it through, nor will be here to do so.

I am ok with this deadline.....for now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: icelander25 and doublechili
The lack of speed and skill among the forwards is glaring, but the d is just as much of an issue. Pelech, Pulock and Mayfield are too slow, lack the skill to be puck transporters or help with the breakouts and now all of them have become injury prone too. Time to move on, how? With the no trade protection Pelech and Pulock have and Mayfield’s term, not going to be easy.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Glorydays22, MarsTBOW, doublechili and 1 other person
IHateLou said:
In terms of trying to win a Stanley Cup it is irational, Palmieri should have been traded for assets, this team has no chance of winning a Stanley Cup this year, if Palmieri was intent on staying on the Islanders we could have signed him in the off season for a team friendly deal, Lou was not working in the best interest of the team when he decided not to trade him
Click to expand...
All opinion and speculation. Nothing to do with rationality.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikeyMike01
Some on this board simply don't get it. I don't know how much more this franchise has to go through for fans to be on the same page, but it is mind-boggling. Since the failure of this deadline (and it will be an even worse disaster if Kyle Palmieri gets more than 2 years and 8 million- and I would argue he shouldn't even be extended at all) I have read that we should "extend Lee" where any such extension will be paying him at his 36-year-old seasons plus and some diatribe justifying not doing what is right for the franchise because it would affect ticket sales, when no one is showing up for this boring shit show as it is.

So I will repeat the simplicity of how you turn things around again:

AS LONG AS WE ARE NOT A PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR TOP END TALENT- YOU HAVE TO DRAFT AND DEVELOP IT

It isn't rocket science really. If you were to make a list of our best players over the last four decades (as the excruciating pain continues- reaching 41 years since our last appearance and 42 since our last win) an overwhelming number of said players were DRAFTED. Hell, even that success- 4 STRAIGHT STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS were led by the three greatest Islanders of all time- Bossy, Tottier and Potvin- who were all DRAFTED...

Ugh, and people still don't get it? How much top end talent have passed on coming here in free-agency??

Instead, some on here want to keep the status quo going instead of trying to get BETTER TALENT- difference making talent.

This deadline was an opportunity to sell off as much aging and MEDIOCRE talent as possible in a seller's market (ANTHONY BEAUVIILER RETURNED A SECOND ROUND PICK for crying out loud) and Lou wanted to stand pat (luckily Nelson wanted out either because he wanted more than he is worth and/or is also tired of skating in circles)....likely a combination of both. Trading Palms+ would have helped obviously in chances of getting better and difference making talent (via prospects and draft picks)...

No, you dont re-up with Palms just so you can remain competitive...wtf? Competitively fighting for a bottom playoff seed and a first round exit if you make it in??? That is the goal here???

What is unfortunate as I mentioned earlier in my last post is the likelihood that Pageau or Lee have the same or better trade value next deadline is about zero- and I have already lamented about how they DO NOT HAVE MORE VALUE IN THE OFFSEASON (common sense says this because then you are not adding a piece for a playoff run but rather adding for a season- and neither are real top-6ers for a good team).

In summary, the plan is simple:

1) Get younger and faster and that means dont sign or extend ANYONE long term who is over 30....period... until some of the endless ones on our roster are gone

2) Fire Lou (yesterday) and find someone who can execute a plan that doesn't have only the "here and now" mindset of competing but also our long term in mind
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Glorydays22, MJF, Ishkabible and 1 other person
SI said:
I understand your point of view, and while I would prefer to see Palmieri moved at the deadline, I also see the value in bringing him back.

What I want is for this team to compete next season. I do not want them to tank—I want them in the playoffs. Palmieri helps them achieve that. The expectation for him would be to play in the top six and contribute on either PP1 or PP2.

I value culture just as much as, if not more than, roster construction. Players like Parise, Komarov, Bailey, and Palmieri can have a positive impact on younger players coming up. Veteran presence and mentorship are crucial for player development—just look at how Patrick Marleau influenced Marner and Matthews in Toronto.

I've said before that I'd rather have Palmieri on a 2-year deal at <$5M AAV than Duclair for three more seasons at $3.5M AAV.

Where we disagree is on how far away this team is from contention. I rate Sorokin very highly, and I also have confidence in Barzal and Roy. With a smart offseason, I believe the team can retool and remain competitive next season, and Palmieri will be a big part of that.

Now, whether Lou should be the one making those decisions—or even if he’ll be given the opportunity to—is another discussion. While I do believe it may be time for Lou to move on, I also think he is capable of making strong deals. The Nelson trade was a good move, and so was the Horvat deal, so he has the ability to execute.

For those advocating more of a retool, the focus should be on rebuilding the bottom six, finding another top-six forward, replenishing the prospect pool, and identifying a long-term replacement for Nelson. That alone is a significant workload for the organization this offseason.

The prospect list is already looking much stronger:
  • 2025 1st-round pick (depending on who they draft)
  • Cole Eiserman (LW/RW)
  • Calum Ritchie (C)
  • Danny Nelson (C)
  • Quinn Finley (F)
  • Jesse Pulkkinen (LHD)
  • Marcus Gidloff (G)
  • Isaiah George (LHD)
  • 2025 2nd-round pick (potentially high-value)
  • Kamil Bednarik (C)
  • 2026: Two 1st-round picks
Their top nine—depending on offseason additions—can be very competitive. I also remain a fan of their blue line and wouldn’t be surprised to see a move this offseason that further strengthens the defense.
For example, say Anaheim is willing to move Mason Mactavish for Noah Dobson, then we are moving in the right direction. Imagine a lineup -

Holmstrom - Mactavish - Barzal
Lee - Horvat - Palmieri
Cizikas - Pageau - Tsyplakov
Duclair - Ritchie - UFA

with likes of Eiserman, 2025 1st, Danny Nelson, and Quinn Finley knocking on the door.
Click to expand...
Yeah, if you couldn’t get a first for Palmieri it wasn’t worth it. You can still deal Lee/Pageau next season if/when we’re out of it, and will likely replace them internally with Eiserman and Nelson. It would put them in a position to have a shit ton of cap space in a year with a very very very strong FA class.

That’s if Lou is willing to move on from Lee and Pageau, of course.
 
SayItAintSoJohnny said:
AS LONG AS WE ARE NOT A PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR TOP END TALENT- YOU HAVE TO DRAFT AND DEVELOP IT
Click to expand...

2RWoqLt.jpg
 
  • Angry
Reactions: IslandersGER
Lek said:
Retools can take some patience and some thinking ahead if done right. Hard to believe Lou does not see that is needed. Just the same, I am more than 70% leaning that Lou is not the guy to see it through, nor will be here to do so.

I am ok with this deadline.....for now.
Click to expand...
If you call this a retool then realize it would not have started had Brock Nelson not boxed Lou into a corner by turning down his extension offers.

Thank you, Brock, from saving Lou from himself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ishkabible, icelander25, The Real JT and 3 others
Sad to see Brock go, but seems like a good return. I expect Lou to flip that first for something in the summer to retool.

Fine with keeping Palms if he wants to be here and it’s for a reasonable term and dollars. Need someone to score.

Happy to watch them try to scratch into a PO spot for the rest of the year. Who knows, maybe they can claw in and give us a round or two. I just want to see an hard effort every night.

I still have zero interest in firesaling and taking it down to the wood for half a decade. We did that for the better part of 30 years and don’t want to see it again. It rarely works, imo. We’ll see what the summer brings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kevin27NYI, Glory Days, mm11 and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom