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

[impaaaaaact]

This is like booking WrestleMania with The Rock vs Barry Horowitz in the main event . . . are you trying to give all of us heartburn?

not sure I get what you're referring to but the lineup has generally been built out in pairs + a plug. Barzal + Horvat, Nelson + Palmieri, Pageau + Holmstrom and Maclean + Cizikas. It's always the 3rd wheels that get shifted around

 

[MarsTBOW]

Ok, what would this board say if the Duke does not come back this year at all?
No Matter what Lou says, this is a real possibility I fear.

-Would you Make a deal? Maybe Robertson from Toronto? (I Know we would most likely give up a high pick plus mid level prospect)

-Grin and Bear it and be a Bubble Team come playoff time? (And wind up having too little offense yet again if we make it to the show)

 

[Throttle]

Duke ain’t a needle mover - he got injured before people got tired of him and realized a 4 year deal was a bad idea.

 

[eoin92]

Wait? The Isles aren’t retiring number 12?

745 start tonight. Sounds like there must be some type of pregame ceremony

 

[The Real JT]

Ok, what would this board say if the Duke does not come back this year at all?
No Matter what Lou says, this is a real possibility I fear.

-Would you Make a deal? Maybe Robertson from Toronto? (I Know we would most likely give up a high pick plus mid level prospect)

-Grin and Bear it and be a Bubble Team come playoff time? (And wind up having too little offense yet again if we make it to the show)

Words can’t express how much I hate your first proposal.

As for the second, is the Duclair injury the event that has now clarified our position as a bubble team?

 

[Throttle]

Words can’t express how much I hate your first proposal.

As for the second, is the Duclair injury the event that has now clarified our position as a bubble team?

Once Lou trades Palms and Nelson at the deadline, how do the Isles make up 60 goals annually?

 

[leeroggy]

Ok, what would this board say if the Duke does not come back this year at all?
No Matter what Lou says, this is a real possibility I fear.

-Would you Make a deal? Maybe Robertson from Toronto? (I Know we would most likely give up a high pick plus mid level prospect)

-Grin and Bear it and be a Bubble Team come playoff time? (And wind up having too little offense yet again if we make it to the show)

0 points for a 4-2 Toronto team and you want to trade for him to play on our top line?

 

[seafoam]

Ok, what would this board say if the Duke does not come back this year at all?
No Matter what Lou says, this is a real possibility I fear.

-Would you Make a deal? Maybe Robertson from Toronto? (I Know we would most likely give up a high pick plus mid level prospect)

-Grin and Bear it and be a Bubble Team come playoff time? (And wind up having too little offense yet again if we make it to the show)

Even if Duclair comes back this season, there's a good chance that he's not going to be the same Duclair we saw flashes of. It's hard to insert yourself back into the lineup cold when guys are in peak shape 40-60 games into the season.

 

[iggy]

Once Lou trades Palms and Nelson at the deadline, how do the Isles make up 60 goals annually?

James Hagens

 

[BrockLobster]

What exactly is the duclair injury? Aside from the vague LBI?

 

[BelovedIsles]

In this sport and in this league, pretty much half the teams out there can reckon with losing 1-3 key players for a good half of the season or so, basiclly every year.

More injuries will come and yes, guys like Pelech and Pulock can be chalked up as "prone".

What I've marvelled at more than anything else is how little time Barzal has missed in his 7+ seasons to date. Playing like he does with a target on his back... Impressive.

We know this. Spare the (usual) long-winded, high brow, and ‘sage’ rhetoric.

My point is, the way this team is constructed, it needs its horses to truly compete. That is all.

 

[MarsTBOW]

Words can’t express how much I hate your first proposal.

As for the second, is the Duclair injury the event that has now clarified our position as a bubble team?

Without a clicking first line, I think we are a Bubble team...

What exactly is the duclair injury? Aside from the vague LBI?

I heard a rumor that it's significant groin issue

0 points for a 4-2 Toronto team and you want to trade for him to play on our top line?

Not saying it must be Robertson my friend.... The statement said "Make A Deal". I only said him because he has talent and possibly could be available....

 

[saintunspecified]

-Grin and Bear it and be a Bubble Team come playoff time? (And wind up having too little offense yet again if we make it to the show)

Absolutely grin and bear it, and make the choice about whether to sell (if there's anyone worth selling) at that point. Whether it's now, or in the offseason, it's 100% the time to move on from Nelson, Palmieri, and one of Lee or JGP. Unless another team does something stupid, there's no other reasonable move. If the 1st trends towards lottery, you take the ticket, and look for another.

As for why Barzal doesn't get injured - he protects himself. Might be the same reason he doesn't drive the net like he's Pat LaFontaine. I can understand the criticism that it limits him as a player, but also recognize e.g. playing like LaFontaine did was insane.

 

[Throttle]

When you play keep away (now named ‘possession’) all day long and there’s very limited hitters in the game now, the opposing team can try a one a million shot at trying to take you out, put themself out of position or, the better strategy, let the player skate around, waste time, and screw it all up by himself. 99.91% of players in this era are going with the latter option.

 

[miscs75]

What exactly is the duclair injury? Aside from the vague LBI?

Undisclosed according to Lou

 

[Lame Lambert]

Undisclosed according to Lou

Shocking

 

[leeroggy]

Undisclosed according to Lou

I tore my groin once, his reaction was exactly what mine was

 

[periferal]

What exactly is the duclair injury? Aside from the vague LBI?

Sure looked like a (bad) groin injury given what he grabbed when he went down.

Undisclosed according to Lou

When Lou dies we're going to find out that his legal name was something else because he felt it gave him an advantage in the afterlife.

 

[leeroggy]

When Lou dies we're going to find out that his legal name was something else because he felt it gave him an advantage in the afterlife.

Louie, Louie, oh, oh . . .

 

[impaaaaaact]

When you play keep away (now named ‘possession’) all day long and there’s very limited hitters in the game now, the opposing team can try a one a million shot at trying to take you out, put themself out of position or, the better strategy, let the player skate around, waste time, and screw it all up by himself. 99.91% of players in this era are going with the latter option.

It's important to remember that it's only been 6 games, and although it seems like much of the same it's really quite a bit different under the hood.

Without looking it up I think we were getting outshot by an average of 5 or 6 shots a game last year under Lambert. Right now we're outshooting teams by 8 shots, and that doesn't include all the posts they've been hitting. You outshoot the opposing team by 30% and you're going to win more often than not - especially with Vezina caliber net minding behind it.

The thing that has been neutralizing them is that they're shooting like 6.5% on the season. To put that into perspective, no team has had a shooting percentage that low in the last 25 years. League average has been around 10% for the last few years, and that's where the Isles usually land. It's the kind of stat that always normalizes with a larger sample size.

Had they been shooting 10% to this point they're probably 4-1-1 and we're all jumping for joy. So I know it feels like the sky is falling because of the way the losses have happened, but unless you actually think they're going to be shutout every other game for the rest of the year things should be fine.